Genre Challenge ReizbarOokami Version
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: Puppyshipping drabbles based on different genres chosen by Willowsnake.
1. Mystery

Author's Note: Willowsnake and I have challenged each other. I choose six genres for her. She chooses six genres for me. THE WAR IS ON!

* * *

><p><span>Mystery<span>

Joey moaned as he turned onto his stomach and sighed, then frowned as paper crumpled against his face. He leaned backward and pulled the paper from between his face and the pillow. The folded piece of paper was a cerulean color seen of most post-it notes, and, as he unfolded it, he realized that it was, indeed, a sticky note.

_If you want to know who I am, you'll have to find the next clue.  
><em>_Go check your door._

The blond blinked slowly, frowning growing more concerned, then gasped and sat up. "Who the fuck got into my apartment!"

He rushed toward the front door and squeaked as he found it locked, then went through each of the rooms. Each window was closed and locked, even the tiny bathroom one that he'd left open after his shower last night. It creeped him out to the point that he no longer felt safe in his apartment.

Remembering what the note had said, he rushed back to his front door and yanked it open. The sudden rush of wind knocked another blue sticky note from the wood so it fluttered toward the floor, where it landed on his welcome mat.

Joey immediately picked it up and read the message on the back.

_Took you long enough. And I didn't steal anything._

The blond scowled immediately. He felt as if he'd been insulted, when the person had probably just meant to reassure.

_I'm going to assume you want to know who I am even more, even if it's just to punch my face in._

Damn straight!

_Your next clue will be where you spend most of your time._

"…Most of my time?" Joey frowned and cupped his chin. "I spend most of my time at home, don't I?" It couldn't be that simple, though. He knew it couldn't. Where else did he spend a lot of time? Well, he did work a lot…

And when he wasn't working, he still chilled out at the place he employed him. _**Duh.**_

"The game shop!" He smiled proudly. "This should be an easy game!"

"Nice boxers, old man!"

Joey squeaked and jumped a little, blushing when he realized he was, indeed, standing outside in his boxers. When he realized that it was one of the ten-year-olds that enjoyed throwing insults his way whenever they saw him, however, he ducked inside and grabbed one of his bombs from a bucket kept by the doorway for just such an occasion.

He glared at the little bastard and roared, "Who ya callin' old man, ya little brat!" So saying, he took aim and flung the bomb on him.

It exploded with a splash, leaving the child drenched in water dyed a light pink. His white shirt hadn't stood a chance. Before the kid could go complain to his mother, however, the blond was back in his apartment, and his mother would never believe that such a quiet, hardworking boy could _ever_ be mean to a child.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Yugi jumped when his friend burst into the shop, then sighed. "Joey, you're going to break the door."

"Did someone leave a note here for me?" the blond asked quickly. "Like a sticky note? Or somethin' like that?"

"…Yes," the smaller boy replied slowly. "Please stop banging my door open."

Joey paused, waiting for his little buddy to produce the note, then scowled. "Winter's comin', Yug'."

"Promise you won't throw my door open anymore," Yugi replied, scowling back at him.

The blond glanced at the door and frowned. He supposed he _was _sort of rough on it. "…I promise. …I'll try." He ducked his head. "Sorry."

"_Thank_ you. Here's your note." He rolled his eyes as the post-it was snatched out of his hand and turned to go get a box from the back room. "Have a good day, Joey."

Joey grunted and opened the note quickly.

_I'm going to assume that you were so intent on getting here that you forgot something to eat._

The blond blushed as his stomach growled, seemingly in response to the note. How did this person know what he'd do?

_Take this gift card to Burger World and get something to eat. You'll find your next clue there._

Joey frowned and looked at the gift card, confused and a little alarmed. Who was this person? How did they seem to know exactly what he'd do? Were they watching him now?

"…I _hate _mystery movies!" the blond snarled.

Yugi, back from retrieving a box of cards, blinked at him slowly. "What?"

"…Gotta go," Joey muttered, scampering out of the store.

Yugi stared after him and raised an eyebrow, then sighed and returned to restocking some cards.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sighed as his food was set in front of him, frowning. He put some ketchup on his fries. He poked at his burger. He took a sip of his milkshake. Breakfast of champions.

'_Who's doing this? Why? Why break into my house? Why go see Yugi, or leave enough money to pay for my food? Why go through all of this trouble? Especially for someone like me?'_

It was probably a cruel game. Someone was messing with his head. He was already trying to figure out if he could legally change his lock without telling his landlord. He didn't feel like explaining, 'Someone came into my house, shut the window in my bathroom, and left. No, they didn't take anything. No, I didn't call the police. _Yes,_ I'm sure someone was in my house!'

That was a conversation he could do without.

Well, he _was_ hungry, and this creeper _had_ technically paid for his food. Sighing again, he began to eat.

Halfway through his burger, he was interrupted by one of the waitresses stopping by his table and asking, "Are you Joey Wheeler?"

He blinked up at her, stunned. "Mmph?"

She laughed. "Oh, don't I just always have the bad luck of coming up to people right after they've taken a bite? Just nod, then. Are you Joey Wheeler?"

Joey nodded.

She smiled and placed a now familiar blue paper on his table. "This is for you. Enjoy your meal!"

"Mmph." He watched her go, frowning. Why _was_ it that waitresses always stopped by the table when he had just taken a bite?

Well, in any case, now he had his next clue. He hurried to finish his burger and fries, then wiped his hands on his pants before he reached for the little post-it note. Opening it quickly, he was both anxious and hesitant to read it.

_Full now?_

Yes, he was.

_Good. I won something for you over at the arcade. I think you'll like it._

Joey frowned. How would this person know what he'd like or not? Was that why they'd broken into his house? To investigate?

…This was becoming a different sort of creepy now. He fully expected to be murdered in his sleep tonight.

Well, he'd never get to the bottom of this if he didn't continue on. Besides, something had been won for him. He liked things when they were free.

.-.-.-.-.-.

'_What am I supposed to do now? Just go up and say somethin' was won for me?'_

Joey figured that that was exactly what he had to do. So, taking a deep breath, he walked up to the prize counter and waved the man over. "Uh, hi. I—"

"You got tickets or somethin'?" the man asked, cutting him off.

The blond frowned. "No, but I—"

"Then get lost," he spat, turning to walk back to the other end of the counter.

Joey had been treated like crap before, and he supposed he deserved it, considering the people he used to hang around with. But this blatant disregard for him, simply because he hadn't spent any money in the arcade, it just pissed him off.

He had been told he was very unpleasant when he was pissed. He wasn't quite sure, of course; he didn't always remember what he did.

Catching the man by the collar of his shirt, he dragged him around and leaned over the counter, glaring at him with so much fury that the man shivered in terror. "_Listen._ I got this note sayin' that someone won a prize for me. I have no idea where else to go or what else I can do. So ya better be able t' help me, otherwise I'm gonna leap over this counter and beat ya within an inch of your life."

The man gulped. "O-oh! So _you're_ Joey Wheeler!" When the blond snarled at him, he cringed. "R-right! I'll just go get your prize then!"

Joey watched him scamper into a back room and growled. "Damn right you will…"

When the man returned, he thrust a black stuffed animal at him before quickly scampering back into the back room and slamming the door shut.

Joey blinked, examining the little toy, then smiled when two ruby buttons stared up at him from the plush black face. "Hey, Red-Eyes!" He played with a wing for a moment, then tilted his head as he felt paper crinkle beneath his fingers. Pulling the sticky note from the plushie's back, he tucked the dragon toy under his arm and opened the note.

_There's a vendor at the park that has the most delicious ice-cream. I think you know which one I'm talking about. Do you want some?_

His stomach rumbled. What the hell? He'd just eaten a burger and fries and had guzzled down his milkshake! How could he still be hungry?

Joey sighed as his stomach rumbled again. Yes. He wanted some.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hi, I'd like a chocolate—what is that." Joey blinked.

The man at the ice-cream cart laughed and lifted the white plush dragon. "Oh, this? It's for a customer! He's supposed to have a—Oh!" He looked at the black plush dragon still tucked under the blond's arm, then laughed again. "I guess _you're_ the customer this is for then! Come, hold out little blackie!"

The blond blinked again but did as he was told, too stunned to do anything else. The ice-cream vendor held out the white plush so the toys' noses were only an inch away from each other.

Joey blinked again as a force pulled the black dragon closer, locking the dragons' snouts together in a plush kiss. "Wha-?"

"Ohoho! They are in love, yes?" The man laughed.

The blond could only gape. "I… Uh… They… Eh!" He lifted the two dragons, pulled them apart, and watched as their snouts immediately snapped back together. After a few tries, he realized that it was magnets sewn into the plush toys' noses drawing them back together each time. "Wha-! I-! Why?" he whined in confusion, looking up at the man.

The man only shrugged. "I have no idea. You would have to ask the young man on the bench."

Joey turned so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. When he saw the brunet watching him with a stupid smirk on his stupid face, however, he was immediately enraged. He stomped over to the older boy, glared at him, and snarled, "_Why?_"

Seto raised an eyebrow, unable to help feeling smug. "Why not?"

"You-! I-! This-! UGH!" Joey felt frustrated, hurt, but most of all… used. The CEO had always said that he wasn't worth his time. This really _had _just been a game. A stupid, _stupid_ game, and he was the butt of the joke for playing along.

He was tired. It had been a long morning.

Sighing, the blond sagged onto the bench, feeling completely exhausted. He'd been running around since he woke up, and it had all been for the amusement of the one man that hated him. "…Are ya happy?" he asked after a moment.

Seto frowned. "…What do you mean?"

Joey huffed, resolutely saving his tears for later, when he was alone and in the relative safety of his home. "Are ya happy that I was so easy t' manipulate?"

"…Did you think I was just doing this to prove I could manipulate you?" the brunet asked in disbelief.

The younger boy huffed again. "Weren't ya?"

"That was not my intention. There are less expensive and more amusing ways to manipulate you," Seto stated, scowling.

The blond blinked. "…Thank you?"

The older boy snorted. "You're welcome. In any case, I did this because I like you, not because I think little of you. If I thought little of you, I wouldn't spend money on you. How much do you think it cost me to get those dragons made? I had to have them custom-made, and let me tell you, that wasn't cheap."

"…You could have just asked me out, ya know. I'd punch ya the first few times, but I'd get it eventually that you weren't making fun of me," the blond mumbled, leaning back against the bench.

Seto snorted again, this time in contempt. "I don't look good with a black eye, Joey. I didn't want to risk it." He turned to face the younger boy and leaned his head on his hand. "So? What now? Will you date me, or are you angry?"

Playing with the wings of his plush toys, Joey frowned. "…I could go for some ice-cream before I decide."

"Alright." The brunet stood. "Chocolate?"

Joey stood as well. "Yeah." Once he had his chocolate ice-cream cone and had taken a few looks, he decided that having the brunet spend money on him wouldn't be so bad. Who knows? Maybe he'd even begin to like him! He was clever enough to deal with his quirks, and—

"…Kaiba…" The blond turned toward him slowly, eyes narrowing. "How'd ya get into my house?"

Seto blinked at him a moment. "Uh… I have no idea what you're talking about?"

Joey snarled and shoved the ice-cream cone into the brunet's face. "Asshole!"

"…I see that you've dropped your ice-cream, sir!" the vendor exclaimed, smiling, and began scooping another cone. "Allow me to replace it!"

The brunet huffed and wiped the ice-cream out of his eyes, glaring at the vendor sourly. "Right, just give him more ammunition."

The vendor frowned. "What do you expect? You broke into his house!"

"I didn't break in! The landlord gave me a key!" Seto exclaimed indignantly.

Joey seriously considered smashing his new ice-cream in the brunet's face again, then decided he'd just change his locks, and if the landlord complained, he'd threaten to sue the pants off him for giving a 'stranger' a key to his apartment. So, he began to lick his ice-cream anew and began to walk away. "Kaiba, come walk with me. We'll discuss this privately."

"You just want to kill me and not have to take care of any witnesses," the brunet muttered, but fell into step beside him anyway.


	2. Suspense

Suspense

"Don't worry. It'll snap your neck, so you'll probably be knocked unconscious and you won't even be awake when you die," the executioner stated, tightening the noose around the brunet's neck.

"…Thanks," Seto muttered, scowling. "Makes me feel better."

"Thought it would."

The brunet rolled his eyes in annoyance. The man obviously did not understand what sarcasm was. As the executioner went over to fix the noose around another prisoner's neck, Seto let his eyes travel over the crowd, taking in all of the excited and anticipating expressions. Someone was selling corn on the cob, which was normal. When he saw the funnel cake, however, he realized that this hanging must be the most eventful thing this little county had in the way of entertainment.

When he saw another man coming and putting bags over the other men's heads, he began searching for his lover's face in the crowd. His search became a little frantic as the man drew closer, but eventually, his eyes landed on his lover, and out of habit, he smiled.

The blond looked entirely broken. He wasn't standing tall and proud like he usually did, and his beautiful face was stained with tears. Apparently, his smile just made it worse; the blond covered his mouth and sobbed, hugging himself with his other arm as he stared up at him. He wanted to take his lover into his arms and hold him, comfort him. But he knew he couldn't.

So, he smiled again, more than the general upward quirk of the corner of his mouth—a genuine one that he admitted he probably hadn't given the blond enough of. Then, he mouthed the words he'd never told him, even though he knew he should have; he had the courage now. _I. Love. You._

He saw the blond's eyes widen just before the sack fell over his eyes. He supposed he was still a coward; he'd said it while knowing he didn't have to wait for a response. But he didn't need one, because the blond had told him repeatedly that he loved him, and _he _had been the one too scared to say it.

Seto heard the preacher begin to speak about atonement and 'God have mercy on their souls' and lost interest very quickly. Instead, he thought back to what had gotten him into this mess, and he just couldn't bring himself to be sorry.

"_Seto! Seto!"_

_Seto turned in confusion only to immediately have his lover slam into him. "Ow! Joey!" Pushing the blond to step back, he frowned. "What are you—What happened?" He cupped the younger boy's bruised cheek gently, tracing his swollen lip with his thumb as lightly as possible as the blond merely leaned into his touch and sobbed._

_His shirt had been torn open, and he saw a bite mark on his shoulder. It only took a few seconds for him to realize that someone had attacked and tried to rape his lover. "Joey, what did they do?" he asked quickly, using his other hand to tilt the blond's face up. "Is this all they did? Or did they actually rape you?"_

_Joey sobbed again and turned his head away, knocking the hand from his face. "No, he just—he just did this! I got away before he could actually—He tried t' get my pants down, and I—I __**had**__ to, Seto! I didn't mean to but I __**had**__ to!"_

_Knowing that if he acted angry or upset, the blond might clam up, he soothingly asked, "Had to what, Joey?"_

_The blond looked up at him and whimpered. "I still had that knife ya gave me for my birthday, so I—" He flinched at the memory. "I stabbed him in the stomach and I ran away! My dad thought I was whorin' myself t' ya and he was tryin' t' sell me t' a panderer so he could get money-!" He sobbed again and buried his face in the brunet's chest. "I thought he still loved me—he doesn't love me anymore, Seto—He tried t' __**sell**__ me-!"_

_Seto hugged him tightly and brushed a kiss over his forehead. "It's okay, Joey. You can stay here with me. I've told Mokuba all about you in my letters, so he'll be happy to see you when he gets back from school."_

"_But what if they arrest me for stabbin' him, Seto?" Joey whimpered, looking up at him desperately. "I've been in jail already for prostitution! Why would they believe me over him?"_

_The brunet cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly. "Don't worry. I'll go take care of it right now, okay?"_

_The younger boy sniffed. "How?"_

"…_I don't know. But I'll take care of it," Seto assured, then led him inside. "Why don't you take a bath and then take a nap."_

_Joey looked back at him and frowned. "Seto, what are ya plannin'?"_

"_I'm planning on bribing the man you stabbed to keep quiet. And if that doesn't work, well… I'll figure out something else."_

_The blond turned to kiss him and sighed. "Ya take such good care of me."_

"_Of course I do. I l—" The brunet paused. "…You're precious to me."_

_Joey smiled a little. "I love ya too, Seto."_

_He was glad that Joey understood that he felt it, even if he couldn't bring himself to say it._

_When he'd made it to Joey's house, the panderer was just stumbling out of the house, his hand clenching his stomach as he threw the knife he'd been stabbed with on the ground. "Little bitch… When I get my hands on you I'll—"_

"_You'll apologize," Seto stated sharply, glaring at him. "His father had no right to sell him and __**you**__ had no right to lay your hands on my lover."_

_The man spat at him in contempt. "He's not eighteen yet. His father can sell him to anyone he wants. And once he gets out of jail for attacking me, I'm going to make him regret even saying 'no!'"_

_Seto glared at him a moment longer. He knew men like this; he'd dealt with more than a few in the past. And he knew that no amount of bribing or threatening would keep him away from Joey, because not only had he been physically wounded, but his pride had taken a blow as well. He'd stop at nothing to get his revenge._

_Seto knew that, because that was the type of person he was, too._

_He scowled as the man brushed past him, then glanced down at the knife that had been thrown aside. It was the knife he'd given Joey for his birthday, to protect himself because the people that had tried to prostitute him out had been hanging around. He leaned down to grasp the knife and turned._

_The panderer hadn't gotten very far. Gripping the knife tightly, he strode up behind the man._

_He'd been found guilty by the court of stabbing the panderer to death, and the coroner had said that the man had been stabbed nine times. Seto knew that it had actually been sixteen._

It was funny how he could be _found_ guilty when he didn't even _feel_ guilty. He knew he probably _should_ feel guilty, of course; he'd taken another human being's life. Unfortunately, he'd only seen the panderer as a cockroach that was trying to hurt _his_ lover, so he really couldn't bring himself to care.

Ah, the preacher was finished speaking. They'd be pulling the latch to open the trap doors soon. He could only hope his neck actually broke, then. He didn't think Joey could handle watching him kick and struggle as he suffocated to death.

Seto heard the boards creak and shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. He didn't need to worry about Joey anymore. Mokuba said he'd take care of him under the guise of allowing Joey to be his guardian. He was already on his way home from school to be with Joey. He'd be arriving later in the day. The brunet hoped that they'd take his body down so that Mokuba wouldn't see it as he went by.

His breath hitched as he felt the wood fall away from beneath his feet. His stomach lurched upward and seemed to lodge in his throat; then it was stuck there as the rope around his neck tightened under his chin, and he felt one side of his head catch on the rope while the other side continued to fall. There was an audible snap as his body jerked around.

Seto blinked as his body flipped, neck feeling oddly pleasant, as if he'd just popped it. He appeared to be falling much further than he should have been. What was this feeling? Was this what death felt like? …Death felt like falling?

He couldn't help a grunt as he felt someone's arms catch his legs while someone else caught him around the waist. _'What the fuck?'_ But then he was being set on his feet, and someone was sawing the rope from around his wrists as another person yanked the sack off of his head and threw the noose off.

"Come on, rich boy!" Bakura ordered, smacking him on the shoulder as he took off at a run.

Marik cackled. "Last one there's dead!"

Seto stumbled, still disoriented, but once he realized that he was alive—that he had been saved—he began to run like his life depended on it.

Because it did. He could already hear the constabularies shouting and chasing after them once they realized that he wasn't dead and had actually escaped.

"So—" he huffed, catching up to them in a few long strides. "Who planned this? Mokuba, or Atem?"

Bakura glanced back at him in surprise. "Serious? Ya didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?"

"Joey did." Marik shrugged. "Well, sort of."

"He begged us to help you and even gave us the idea of shredding the rope inside the knot of the noose." Bakura smirked. "Doesn't mean he isn't going to be pissed. He thought you were going to die."

"Major props for the 'I love you' bit, though," Marik added. "I thought blondie would drop where he stood!"

Seto flinched a little. He hoped Joey wouldn't be _too_ angry with his 'daring escape.'

He'd seriously thought he was about to die, too.


	3. Spiritual

Author's Note: "Spiritual" is such an ambiguous genre. You may see the spirituality in this, you may not. I swear, though, I started this drabble with spirituality in mind. OTL

* * *

><p><span>Spiritual<span>

Seto sighed as the soft body beside him cuddled closer, unable to help a frown. _'What's her name again?'_ He glanced at the clothes on the ground, the empty plates on the table, then looked back up at the ceiling. _'Another one of those days, huh?'_

Another one of those days where he left her sleeping, knowing she'd be gone in the evening when he got back, too pissed to even speak to him. He'd spend the entire day hunting or exploring, then he'd return back to the village and have some other family foist their beloved daughter/niece/sister on him in hopes of making him part of their family. She'd make dinner for the two of them, and then he'd sleep with her and leave before she woke up, showing that he didn't care for her, and the cycle would repeat the next day.

He was lucky Mokuba was still young enough that he could play with the other kids. It would only be a few short years until women were being thrown at him, too.

He sighed again and got to his feet, pulling his leather leggings on, then grabbed his spear and walked out the door. The village wasn't even up yet. Good. The disappointed and annoyed expressions he always received sometimes grated on his nerves. He dreaded the day Mokuba came of age and began receiving those looks as well.

Looking up at the sky, Seto carefully watched for the white dragons that his tribe worshipped. When he saw them circling a field not too far away, he began running toward it, his feet silent on the soft soil. Seeing the white dragon dive into the field, he sped up into a sprint, skidding out of the woods he'd had to run through and coming to an abrupt stop as he saw the white dragon standing on its hind legs, wings spread threateningly.

He glanced across the field and gasped quietly when he saw the black dragon crouched on the other side. It had been years since a black dragon had actually been seen. The rest of the village would never believe this—well, maybe they could, since this obviously aggressive white dragon looked like it wanted to kill its dark-scaled counterpart. Somehow, though, the idea of the black dragon dying saddened him.

Seto tightened his grip on the spear as the white dragon roared angrily, swallowing thickly as it stepped forward and unconsciously backing into the tree line himself. He didn't want to watch the black dragon get ripped apart, but somehow, he couldn't find the will to look away or even _move._

"Hey, hey. Easy."

Seto blinked in surprise as a boy stepped out from behind the black dragon, hands up accommodatingly and lips curved into an easy, carefree smile. He'd never seen anyone with yellow hair before, and certainly never wearing only a breechcloth; people with light-colored hair tried to cover themselves as much as possible, hiding from the sun and the teasing of others_._ He couldn't help feeling awed, like this was fate that he'd seen both a black dragon _and _a blond.

He gasped as he realized the blond was walking _toward_ the agitated dragon, taking a step forward in concern. But then the white dragon was relaxing its wings. It growled, hissed, fluttered its tongue anxiously as the boy drew closer. After a moment, though, it leaned down, hesitantly placing its snout in the blond's outstretched hands.

The boy cooed soothingly and stroked its scaly nose gently. "He won't hurt ya. He's not a threat. He's just lookin' for food. You have enough t' spare here, don't ya?"

The white dragon's sharp blue eyes measured the black dragon up. It was still on the small side, probably only just reaching its adulthood. Muscular, but lithe, as if built for agility rather than power. And it _was_ covering its snout with its claws, showing its submission…

The white dragon whistled consent and turned to leave, pausing to give the blond a nudge. The boy laughed and stumbled backward, covering his head as the dragon began flapping his wings and flew from the field. Shaking his head, the blond ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, then began walking toward the edge of the trees.

He turned back to the black dragon and waved. "I'll hide in here while ya go huntin'!"

Seto set his spear against a tree and ducked back into the shadows, stalking the blond through the trees. Once he thought they were far enough from the edge of the woods, he came up behind the boy and reached out to touch his hair.

The blond seemed to sense he was there, then, and he turned, eyes widening as he saw him. Seeing his mouth open and knowing he'd try to scream for help, Seto slapped his hand over his mouth and pinned him to the nearest tree. "Don't scream."

The boy clawed at his hand and whimpered, squirming helplessly, then fell limp against the tree in defeat. "Mm…!"

"I'm going to uncover your mouth. If you scream, I'll be forced to subdue you," Seto warned. When the blond nodded, he slowly pulled his hand away from the younger boy's mouth.

"What do ya want? I don't have anything of any value," the blond exclaimed quickly. "'nd I don't come from a rich family! They can't pay for me if ya make me your slave-!"

The brunet sighed, eyes narrowing in annoyance. "…Maybe I shouldn't have uncovered your mouth." He glanced over his shoulder, then looked back at the younger boy and frowned. "You spoke with the dragons."

"…Y-yeah." The blond blinked, confused. "I did."

"They didn't eat you."

"…Well, of course not…"

"How did you do that?"

The blond blinked again, even more baffled. "How did I do what?"

"How did you talk to the dragons without them eating you?" Seto asked, growing even more annoyed. "Is it some sort of magic?"

"Well, no, I—do the dragons try t' eat _you?_"

The brunet sighed in exasperation. Perhaps he shouldn't have put so much trust in the boy's intelligence. "Never mind," he muttered, turning and walking away. "I'm obviously not asking the right questions and you're obviously stupid."

The younger boy squawked in outrage. "Hey!"

Seto ignored him and continued walking. _'I suppose I'll have to get something big for dinner… Mokuba's a growing boy… Or I could just get a couple of rabbits… He likes rabbit…'_ He grabbed his spear and began into the field, searching for any sort of movement. _'…He hates rabbit. Why do I always think he likes rabbit? …Probably because of that girl that cooked for him one day and just wouldn't shut up about how he'd eaten all of it. …He ate it all to be nice…'_

Well, rabbit was out. He'd have to go back into the woods and find something else. Turning to head back into the woods, he couldn't help jumping in surprise. "GAH!"

The blond scowled at him. "Don't think ya can just call me stupid and walk away!" He crossed his arms and stood in front of him.

Seto stared at him for a moment, then snorted and, placing his hand on the side of the blond's head, shoved him aside. "Yeah. Incredibly stupid." So saying, he began walking again, until he saw something snuffling around some fallen trees. _'Am I really so lucky today that I saw a black dragon, a boy with yellow hair, __**and**__ I'm getting wild boar for dinner?'_

He was incredibly fucking lucky. That _was_ a wild boar. He and Mokuba _loved_ wild boar.

"Hey! Don't walk away from me when I'm tryin' t' yell at ya!"

The brunet groaned as the boar, startled, began to scamper away. He'd planned to just sneak up and stab it, since that was most effective way of killing wild boars, but he refused to let it get away when he'd been _so fucking happy to eat it._ Adjusting his grip on his spear, he took careful aim and threw it.

He watched to make sure the boar was hit. When the spear sank into its side, he knew he could follow the blood trail. So, with that thought in mind, he turned and grabbed the blond by the shoulders as he came up beside him and shook him. "Do you know what you almost did!"

The blond squeaked. "Ngh!"

"If that boar had gotten away, I would have killed _you,_" Seto hissed, glaring at him, then shoved him away and turned to begin tracking the wounded animal. A moment later, he heard the younger boy scampering after him, and he groaned. "Oh, what _now?_"

"How'd ya do that?" the blond asked innocently, coming up beside him.

"How'd I do _what?_" Seto asked in annoyance.

"Throw that thing and hurt that piggy." He shrank back in horror. "Is _that_ magic?"

The brunet turned to glare at him. "No. It just takes practice. I've been doing this for years."

"Oh. So… I could do that too? I could learn to throw sharp things and hunt my own food?"

"If you had the _right_ sharp thing, yes." Seto frowned in confusion but turned to look back at the trail of blood. "…What do you mean, hunt your own food? Who hunts for your food now?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "The _dragons_, of course." He squeaked as the older boy spun toward him abruptly and lurched backward in case he wanted to grab and shake him again. "Nn!"

"The dragons hunt for you?" the brunet asked in disbelief. "The dragons provide food for you?"

"Well… yes… We take care of their eggs and the hatchlings, and the dragons repay us by bringin' food to us." The blond blinked innocently. "…Do they not do that for you?"

"…No one in our village has _ever_ seen an egg," Seto muttered, turning to track the boar again. "Sometimes we'll come across a carcass the dragons didn't finish and use that, but the only time we really interact is during worship and when they lead us through migration."

"Mi… migra—tion?" The blond blinked again.

"Yes. Migration. We follow the dragons when they move from this valley to the mountains." He found his spear. Good. That meant the boar would bleed out. "It's too hot down here in the summer. We pack our things and move to the mountains. …Why are you following me?"

The younger boy pointed at his spear. "Can I see your sharp thingy?"

Seto suddenly had the vision of the blond somehow impaling himself or accidentally stabbing _him. _"ABSOLUTELY NOT."

The blond pouted. "I don't see why I can't…"

"And that's exactly why you're not seeing it." Smiling as he finally found the boar wheezing near a creek, he turned the spear over and stabbed it in the head to end its misery.

And so ended his good luck streak.

Seto cursed loudly as the rock that was the head of his spear snapped, lifting the spear to glare at the piece still tied tightly to the stick. "This'll take an entire day to fix."

"Why don't ya use something harder than a rock?" the blond asked, reaching down and plucking the broken piece from the boar's skull. He yelped as his finger slipped against the sharp side and dropped it. "Ow!"

"…That's why I didn't want to let you see it," the older boy stated bluntly. "You'll kill yourself. Or me. Just stop touching it. –Let me see." He grabbed the blond's hand and licked it quickly, getting most of the blood off, then examined the small cut. "…This isn't bad. It should heal in a couple of days."

Kneeling beside the boar and grabbing the remains of the spearhead carefully, he turned his attention to bleeding it and making sure it wouldn't bloat before he could get it home. His eye twitched as he sensed the blond hovering over him, but he resolutely kept his eyes on his task. He _would_ be having the boar for dinner, despite the powers-that-be that were obviously torturing him with the blond's stupid presence.

Finally, though, it was too much, and Seto whipped his head around to glare at him. "_What?_"

"…I'll teach ya how t' talk t' the dragons if ya show me how t' make one o' those and throw it," the blond offered, pointing at the spearhead in his hand.

Seto opened his mouth, ready to tell him no because he'd obviously kill them both if he tried, then paused. "…Are you sure?" he asked after a moment, frowning. "It'll take a while."

The younger boy smiled. "I'll tell my village that I've found some different colored dragons and I'm investigatin'. I can probably stay for a week. Maybe even two."

"…If you think you can, then I suppose I don't mind." The brunet stood. "I'll come back here tomorrow. If you're not here by dusk, I'm leaving and I'm not coming back," he added.

"Okay. I'll be back by then." The blond did his best not to squeal with glee. "My name's Joey, by the way. What's yours?"

The older boy tilted his head, wondering if he should answer, then eventually replied, "Seto. I'll see you tomorrow. …Or I won't. It doesn't really matter to me."

"I'll be here!" Joey exclaimed, offended again. "Jeez!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Gah! This is too _hard!_" Joey exclaimed, frustrated.

Seto clapped a hand over his to keep him from throwing the stones in frustration—again. "You have to be patient."

"I'm not a patient person!" the blond snapped.

"…I noticed." The older boy sighed and looked up at the sky. "…If the dragons provide for you, why do you want to learn to hunt so badly?"

Joey looked down at his lap. "…We're runnin' low on everything except vegetables and rabbits. But the dragons can't catch rabbits; they're too small and too quick. If I can get food for us—for my people and older hatchlin's—the older dragons can fly farther t' hunt for themselves. 'nd maybe… maybe it'll give our area a chance t' get bigger animals again." The blond frowned. "…We're bein' overrun with rabbits. I'm sure we can get by with those."

"If you're so set on that idea, other people will agree with you and want to learn as well," Seto explained quietly. "It's only natural that they'll want to help you, if your people are so closely knit together. You have to get through this part to teach other people how to do it."

The blond groaned and rolled his eyes. "Can't we use somethin' that's already sharp? Like a dragon's tooth or somethin'?"

"…I don't really come across dragon teeth, so I wouldn't kno—" The brunet blinked as the blond pulled some long, white teeth from the bag he'd brought. "…What are…"

"Dragon teeth. We use 'em t' cut up food," the younger boy explained. "Would they work?"

Seto stared at him for a moment, then scowled and smacked him in the back of the head. "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"Gah!" The blond hurriedly clutched the place he'd been hit. "Ow!"

"You are an idiot!" the older boy spat, growing frustrated himself, then sighed in annoyance and returned to scraping his piece of obsidian to a point. "It'll work just fine, I guess."

Joey rubbed the back of his head, frowning. "…I could give ya one of 'em—"

"_No,_ thank you. My people would ask about it and they're still pissed that I brought back a boar and didn't share it with them." The brunet sighed in annoyance. "I swear, if I didn't need to raise my brother, I'd just leave them entirely."

"…Why?"

"Because the village only wants me there to do things for them. It's why they keep trying to marry off their daughters or what have you so that I'm tied to the village until I die. I have to say, I'm not interested in kids when I'm already raising my brother and I really don't want a woman nagging at me day-in and day-out." Seto raised an eyebrow as the younger boy scooted over to sit beside him again. "Hmm?"

"…Am I doin' it right?" Joey asked hesitantly, holding out his own half-formed spearhead for inspection.

The brunet turned to look at it and frowned, brushing his thumb over the edge of it gently. "…It's coming to a good point. I'll show you how to sharpen the edges in a minute."

"Okay." The younger boy picked at the frayed edge of his breechcloth for a moment, then looked back at his spearhead. "…Ya never answered. Do the dragons… eat ya when ya approach 'em?"

Seto paused, frowning. "…No. For the most part. As long as they're mostly finished eating and we don't come up from behind them." He tested the edges of his spearhead, then looked away. "My father was killed by a dragon. We buried what we could find of him."

Joey squeaked in horror. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"I thought if I could learn to speak with the dragons, I could find out why, so Mokuba and I wouldn't repeat what he did." The brunet sighed. "Dad always thought dragons were beautiful and made sure we appreciated them. Even when he was killed, Mom kept telling us that it was something Dad did that the dragons misunderstood, so we wouldn't resent them. I still think dragons are majestic creatures. I'd like to know what it was that my dad did to upset one enough to tear him apart."

"…I… I don't know about white dragons," the blond admitted, frowning. "They're not the same as black dragons. I sensed that when I asked that other one not t' attack my black dragon. I was… afraid it might not listen t' me."

"Let me show you how to sharpen the edges." Seto took the blond's hands and directed them into a position to better knap the stone, effectively ending the conversation.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey yelped as he was yanked backward. "Gah! What was that f—"

"I think I already told you that we don't approach dragons from behind," Seto stated, leading the blond a little further through the woods so they'd come out of the clearing on the dragon's side. "I think that any lesson you give me should not involve either of us being ripped to shreds."

"…Oh." The younger boy at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, I said we should have started with one of the black dragons…"

The brunet sighed. "And I believe I told you that that wouldn't help me because the dragon that brought you here was the first black dragon I'd seen and you said yourself that they speak differently."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"…But you don't want to go up to a white dragon and say 'hi there! I'm trying to teach this guy to talk to you,'" Seto deadpanned.

Joey had the decency to cringe. "Yeeeah."

"Maybe we should trust the dragon to _not_ eat us immediately," the brunet suggested, rolling his eyes.

The younger boy frowned as the other man casually stepped out from the tree line. "Shouldn't we leave our spears outta sight?"

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes again. "What are we going to do with them, Joey? Poke them in the eye?"

Joey squeaked and scampered after him, unable to fight down the feeling of fear as the white dragon turned, pinning the two of them with its penetrating blue stare. "But won't it see us as a threat then?"

"Joey, they're pointy rocks," Seto snapped. "I don't think it really cares. In fact, I bet I could try and spear it right now, and it would just be amused. Look at this, Joey. It's a _rock._ It would _never_ penetrate their scales."

The blond frowned at the end of his own spear (admittedly not as sharp as Seto's, but they'd both decided that he'd learn with the rock before he attached a tooth instead). The dragon would probably just smack them away if they tried to do anything, anyway. "Okay. The most important part of talkin' t' a dragon is lookin' it in the eye."

"In the eye?" The older boy frowned. He'd never looked a dragon in the eye, but that was always because he'd been taught to show respect to the dragons, and looking someone in the eye was considered disrespectful.

"Well, when they speak with humans, they do it with their eyes," Joey explained. "Ya may hear it rumble or growl, but what you're gonna understand is gonna be from their eyes." When the brunet stared at him skeptically, he frowned. "I know it sounds stupid, but it's true."

Seto did not comment that anything stupid coming out of his mouth really didn't surprise him. "…I suppose their eyes are very articulate, then," he muttered, letting his gaze drift up the dragon's snout until he caught its eyes.

He was immediately bombarded with feelings of wry amusement and curiosity.

Joey yelped as the brunet collapsed beside him and hurried to help him to his feet. "Sorry! I forgot that it can be really intense the first time!"

"HOW DO YOU FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Seto roared, glaring at him.

"I've been doin' it since I was small!" the blonde exclaimed defensively. "I only remember my first time 'cause I did it by accident!"

The older boy growled. "I'll _kill_ you."

"I…!" Joey took a few steps back warily, just in case the brunet actually _did_ want to kill him.

Seto probably would have tackled him and tried to strangle him, then (his skull was still pounding), but before he could, a white, tiered tail waved between them. Despite what had just happened, the brunet jerked his gaze back to the dragon's face to gauge whether or not it found them annoying and was about to attack. Then, he found himself caught in the dragon's intense gaze again.

"_**Humans always were amusing."**_ The corners of the dragon's eyes crinkled. The brunet was surprised to realize that that was dragon's version of a smile. _**"Unfortunately, you're not quite amusing enough."**_

Joey scampered behind the brunet despite his earlier intent to maul him; the dragon's voice was cold and dark. "'m hidin' behind you…"

Seto couldn't help the step back he took, tightening his grip on his spear as the dragon's lips curled back to expose all of its sharp, shiny teeth. "Not quite amusing enough for what?"

"_**For me to not eat you,"**_ the dragon purred, taking a step toward them.

The blond squeaked. "But dragons aren't s'posed t' eat humans!"

The dragon snorted, still amused. _**"Who ever told you **__that?__**"**_

Seto took another step back, eyes widening. _'Fuck. It really wants to eat us. __**Fuck.**__ I've got a stick with a sharp rock on it and a moron that thinks dragons are supposed to be __**nice**__ and this thing wants to __**eat us.**__'_ There was nothing he could do. He could try to defend himself, but Joey would inevitably get in the way, and the dragon could snap his bones just as easily as it could snap his spear. _'…Fuck.'_

Just as the white dragon took a step toward them, however, a black dart shot down from the sky.

Seeing the black dragon that had originally brought the blond to the area, Seto turned, latching onto the younger boy's wrist and dragging him back into the woods. "Run, run, run!"

"But—Akai—"

"I SAID RUN!" the brunet snarled, and was pleased when the other boy picked up speed.

Well, he was pleased until the blond stopped completely and looked back the direction they'd come. His eyebrow twitched. "I'm going to kill you."

"They can't come into the woods," Joey muttered, shooting him a glare. "Too many trees for their wings."

Seto sighed. He could admit that he'd never seen a dragon in the woods. "This… has been a terrible experience."

"We'll just find a smaller dragon next time," the blond replied.

The brunet blinked. Next time?

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I don't want to do this again. Do you remember what happened last time?"

Joey huffed and tried to shove the brunet into the clearing. "Ya showed me how t' use the spear, so _now_ I gotta teach ya how t' talk t' dragons-! Will ya _move?_ You're like a fuckin' wall!"

"Because I _don't_ want to _go,_" Seto replied, scowling back at him. "Did last time teach you nothing? White dragons are nothing like black dragons. I'm fine with never speaking to one again, by the way. They clearly have no interest in speaking to me—WAUGH! DID YOU JUST STAB ME IN THE ASS?"

"'m gonna _keep_ stabbin' ya until ya go," the blond growled, tightening his grip on the spear in his hand.

Seto decided it was in his best interest to at least step out into the clearing.

"…No, this isn't going to work," he stated, once he saw the small dragon trembling in the center of the small field. He turned around to leave immediately and groaned in the back of his throat when the blond pointed his spear at him threateningly. "Joey, you take care of your dragons' hatchlings. We don't do that here. The dragons take care of their own."

The blond blinked innocently. "Yeah?"

"Yes. _That_—" He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the frightened dragon. "—Is still considered a baby. And you know what they say about baby dragons?"

The younger boy shook his head. "No."

"If you see a baby dragon—" Seto sighed and sagged in defeat as the air shook with a loud roar. "…Mama isn't too far away," he finished, then slapped a hand over his face. "You're trying to kill me. I teach you how to make and use a spear, and the thanks I get is death."

"She can't be that mean, right? I mean, what are we gonna do?" Joey asked nervously.

"Baby dragons' scales aren't _hard_ yet, Joey." The brunet glared at him. "We could do _anything_ to it."

Joey stared at him for a moment, then turned and smiled brightly at the still-trembling dragon. "Say hi to your mother!" So saying, he quickly turned to leave.

Seto sighed in relief and moved to follow him as he made to go back into the woods, but then a long white tail slammed down in front of them. He turned toward the blond and scowled. "I hate you."

The younger boy laughed nervously and glanced away, then hurriedly dropped his spear and instead clung to the brunet's arm. "'m sorry I'll never make ya do anything else if we live."

'_**If.**__ Fucking __**if,**__'_ the brunet thought sourly. He turned to look up at the mother's face, though, out of curiosity of what she could possibly be thinking about them.

"_**Are you morons?"**_ She narrowed her eyes and hissed. _**"I could kill you for less. Humans are absolutely useless."**_

"…I wouldn't say I'm useless. I'd just say _he's_ a moron," Seto muttered, pointing at the blond.

The dragon blinked at him slowly, then glared at him harder. _**"Well I would have hoped that **__you__** would have the proper respect for dragons, after what we did for your father!"**_

Frowning immediately at the statement, the brunet frowned. "For? Did you say what you did _for_ my father? …I think you mean what you did _to_ my father."

"_**No, what we did **__for__** your father."**_ She hissed again, but seemed to take pity on him at the look of complete and utter confusion. _**"Something was eating away at his insides. He was in pain. He would have died within months. We merely ended his suffering."**_ Her tongue flicked out for a moment, and she paused, eyes crinkling as she moved her gaze to the blond. _**"…You smell like that black dragon that has been hovering around."**_

Joey gulped and stepped behind the brunet, peeking out at the giant white lizard nervously and managing to squeak out, "Yeah?"

The dragon's lips curled into a grin reminiscent of the one that had planned on eating them, but Seto saw something that looked like a different sort of hunger entirely.

"_**He's **__cute.__**"**_ The dragon leered at them. _**"Do you suppose he'd mind a girl with white scales?"**_

Seto felt his world tilt on its axis. _'Dragons are perverts. THIS IS NOT OKAY.'_

He'd believed that dragons were somehow 'higher beings,' something to be worshipped. He'd realized that they had to make eggs somehow, but he'd never really thought about it. Knowing that they had the same carnal urges that humans did sort of besmirched his mental image of them.

Joey, unfortunately, was a bit slow on the uptake. "Why would he mind what color ya are?" The look of disbelief and annoyance that both the dragon and the brunet gave him made him blush. "Do they care about that kinda thing down here?"

The dragon sighed and turned her gaze to the brunet. _**"You're right. He's a moron."**_

The blond scowled, disgruntled. "Hey!"

"Yes, well, at least he's cute," Seto sighed.

Joey narrowed his eyes at the older boy. "…That is a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one."

"…At least you're cute," the brunet repeated, patting him on the head.

The way the blond blushed just before he punched him was worth the black eye, Seto decided.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I hope I never see ya again!"

"Good riddance."

Joey stuck his tongue out at the brunet and crawled onto the black dragon's back. "You're grumpy and mean."

"You're stupid," Seto replied.

The blond roared. "YOU'RE SO MEAN!"

"…I'm also grumpy," the older boy added, smirking, and had to chuckle when the blond snarled at him again. "But I'll probably miss your loudness in a few days. You were… surprisingly good company."

"I'll probably miss how easy ya are t' annoy, too," Joey mumbled, blushing a little, but carefully avoided eye contact.

The two humans jumped as they heard a squeal and turned, and the black dragon stiffened as he saw the baby dragon scampering toward them, its mother lumbering along behind it. Seto took a step closer to the black dragon.

Apparently, that didn't deter the baby, because it scampered right up to the older human and rubbed its head against him. Seto blinked. "What the hell?"

Its mother cooed. _**"She likes the way you smell. She says you smell like a father should."**_

"Oh. Wait, what? Like a father?" Seto squeaked.

The white dragon shrugged. _**"I have no idea. **__She__** seems to know what she's talking about. …Well hello there."**_ She leered at the black dragon.

Akai took a step backward. Joey frowned. "Akai, why ya sweatin'? You're makin' it hard t' hold on."

"…_**Nervous, are we?"**_ The white dragon began to purr.

Joey squeaked as the black dragon suddenly leapt into the air. "Akai, jeez! Give me some warnin' next time—BYE SETO!"

Seto turned to watch them go, then turned to look at the white dragon. "…Uh."

"_**Humph. …He'll be back."**_ She frowned. _**"…Maybe. …Do I come on too strong?"**_

The brunet's eyebrow twitched. "I wouldn't know. I'm not a dragon." He looked down at the baby dragon and sighed. "Did you hear that? I'm not a dragon."

It smiled brightly. _**"Daddy!"**_

"…" He sighed again. "…Well, I've wanted to get away from that village for a while…"

"_**Your parents were nomads that only settled in the village because Mokuba was born and winter came,"**_ the dragon explained. _**"My sister led your family there because the blizzards were coming."**_

"…"

"_**It's only natural that you'd want to keep moving, since you originally grew up moving around. And your brother must feel the same restlessness you do."**_

"…"

"_**Plus, there's going to be a drought in the next five years. We'll be migrating elsewhere, so if you stay with us, you'll stay healthy."**_

"…Why does this seem normal to me now?" Seto sighed yet again, feeling annoyed, exasperated, but mostly resigned. "…But I'll want to see Joey again. How will I do that if I'm not here? This is the only place he knows to find me."

She smiled nearly as brightly as her child. _**"I'll follow them to see where they're going and let them know that you'll be with us if they ever want to see you! SHIRA, STAY WITH YOUR FATHER."**_

"I haven't said yes yet! I haven't talked to Mokuba about it-! HEY!" He covered his head as the wind from her flapping wings buffeted him about. "I never said I'd agree to—What's her name?" he asked the baby dragon quickly.

Shira blinked. _**"Mommy?"**_

Seto growled in frustration. Then, he heaved a defeated sigh and slapped a hand over his face. _'I wish it was just one of those days again where I woke up with a stranger in my bed and my only plans were hunting.'_

Then again, that had been boring. He knew he'd never be bored again, now. Especially when the little dragon beamed up at him adoringly. "…Shit, I can't go home with you."

…He hoped that the baby's mother would be back soon. And he hoped that someone else would feed Mokuba while he was gone.


	4. Poetry

Author's Note: Uh, I just thought I'd let everyone know that there's actually no competition going on between Willowsnake and me. There's not going to be any winning or losing. I realize that I may have left this impression with some of my reviews to her, but she and I talk privately all the time. That's not what those reviews mean.

* * *

><p><span>Poetry<span>

_I'd like to say that it's your pants  
><em>_That put me in this position  
><em>_And I'd tell you how to change it  
><em>_If you would only listen_

_But your jaw is always flapping  
><em>_And your voice drowning me out  
><em>_So your pants remain to taunt me  
><em>_Alongside your moe pout_

_It's not so bad when you face me  
><em>_But when you turn around is the worst  
><em>_Since when you walk away my eyes  
><em>_Are drawn to your ass first_

_You look great in denim  
><em>_But that's really not the issue  
><em>_It's that your jeans would look much better  
><em>_If I was in them with you_

"…Joey? Are you okay?" Yugi asked in concern, brows furrowing together.

The blond had been staring at the paper he'd found tucked in his book for quite some time, mouth agape. Luckily, the smaller boy's question seemed to jar him out of whatever catatonic state he'd been shocked into. His reaction to the paper, however, was baffling, to say the least.

Yugi blinked as the taller boy stuffed the paper into his backpack, taking in the dark red color of his cheeks, then smiled brightly. "Is it a love letter?"

"Uh…" Joey felt his cheeks burn hotter. "Somethin' like that," he muttered embarrassedly. "Let's… go t' the game shop…"

"…Okay…"

Seto watched them go, taking in the blond's embarrassed slouch and his dark pink cheeks before they left the room.

And he smirked.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_You must admit that sometimes  
><em>_You have no class  
><em>_And at other times  
><em>_You're incredibly crass  
><em>_You've obviously come from  
><em>_Lower middle-class  
><em>_Especially with the amount  
><em>_Of your sharp back-sass_

_Then again I enjoy  
><em>_That you're not a lass  
><em>_And that your balls are  
><em>_Seemingly made of brass  
><em>_Despite your temper  
><em>_As sensitive as glass  
><em>_And I thought you'd like to know  
><em>_You have a wonderful ass_

Joey stared. He gaped. He felt insulted. …But at the same time, he felt flattered. Insults? There were quite a few. But there were a couple of compliments.

'…_I have a wonderful ass?'_ He should probably be more alarmed. The handwriting on this note was the same as the handwriting on the first, and they'd both commented on his body and had alluded to sex. He really _should_ be insulted.

…But it was poetry. About him. He hadn't even known that many words rhymed with 'ass!' Was it just his immaturity that made that seem incredibly clever?

…It probably was.

Joey sighed and leaned his head in his hand, frowning, as he crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into bag. It was just someone messing with him, he realized, and he figured he sort of deserved it. He'd panty-tanked so many girls before Téa had punched the crap out of him that he figured this was karma. Really awkward karma because he wasn't sure who the person was and he thought it might be more satisfying if the other person made sure he knew who it was tormenting him, but karma nonetheless.

…Actually, his squirming and wondering probably made it even more worthwhile to the poet. When people knew who did it, they could get angry at that person and plan adequate revenge; when they didn't know, they could only sit there and strew and get frustrated and hate everything around them.

How cruel. But then again, how clever. Maybe Kaiba could find some helpful tips in that so that when he mocked him he—

Joey's eyes flew open. After a moment, he turned, eyes wide as he looked back at the brunet behind him, who always had ample time to slip a sheet of paper into his book as he walked past to his own desk.

The older boy stared back at him evenly, as if asking, 'what do you want?' But there was something else there in his eyes—something malicious but, at the same time, something _playful._ He glanced at the book still open on the blond's desk, the bag where the terrible poem had been stored, then back at the wide-eyed pup.

And he smirked.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_Roses are red,  
><em>_Violets are blue,  
><em>_If you keep doing this  
><em>_I'M GOING TO KILL YOU._

Seto frowned at the small scrap of paper he'd found where he usually put his poems for the blond, then glanced at the neatly folded paper in his own hand. After a moment, though, he smirked and snatched the scrap out of the book, placing his own note inside so that it looked like the same piece of paper the blond had placed in.

Teasing Joey was always fun.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_I realize that this might not be as fun for you as it is for me  
><em>_When it's __**you**__ being described so indecorously  
><em>_Admittedly I realize this isn't fun for you  
><em>_Not that I care or anything; it's something for __**me**__ to do  
><em>_Though, let's be honest, you do reap the reward and  
><em>_You must admit that this keeps you from being bored  
><em>_Or I could end this silly game; it's really up to you  
><em>_Unless of course, you know something __**better**__ we could do_

"What the hell?" This wasn't the note he'd left. And, while he appreciated that it wasn't talking about his body or wanting it, he was confused. This was too simple. Even if Kaiba was bored of teasing him with his stupid poems, he wouldn't just offer to stop.

He turned to glare at the brunet suspiciously.

Seto raised an eyebrow, then smirked. He lifted a piece of paper that said, 'Read the first letter of every line.'

'_First letter… of every line?'_ Joey blinked, then turned his attention back to the poem. _'Iwa… Iwant—I wanty—I want you-? …What is I want y—'_ Feeling stupid that he hadn't figured the meaning out immediately, Joey snarled, stood, and turned, shoving the brunet backward in his chair. Then, he flipped his desk so it landed on top of him.

Once that was accomplished, he snarled again and grabbed his backpack, storming out of the room before the poor, stunned teacher could even demand an explanation.

She stared, mouth agape, before shrieking, "WELL SOMEONE HELP HIM UP!"

Seto grunted as the desk was pulled off of him, shaking his head dazedly as he sat up. "Ow."

Téa felt the back of his head and grimaced when she realized the huge knot on the back of it was probably the only reason the brunet had allowed it. "Ooh, that's gonna hurt for a while. Maybe you should go to the nurse and get some ice for that."

Seto reached back to touch the bump and hissed, wincing a little. "…Maybe I will."

"Before you go, Mr. Kaiba," the teacher began, glaring at him. "What did you do to make Mr. Wheeler so upset that he'd not only knock you backward in your seat but throw your desk on top of you?"

"…I made a pass at him," Seto muttered as Yugi helped him to his feet.

"YOU WHAT?" Yugi exclaimed in surprise, dropping his hands and accidentally causing the brunet to fall back and smack his head against the desk behind him.

"OW! What is the _matter_ with you?" Seto snarled, glaring at him.

The smaller boy held his hands up apologetically. "Sorry, Kaiba!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

_Roses are red  
><em>_Violets are blue  
><em>_Would it make you feel better  
><em>_If I said 'I like you?'_

Joey growled and clenched his fists to keep from ripping the paper to shreds. He'd drawn enough attention to himself the other day when he'd injured Kaiba (he thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't _seriously_ hurt him) and he wasn't interested in making a huge scene again. So, instead, he ripped out a piece of paper and scribbled his answer across it, then crumpled it up and tossed it over his shoulder.

Seto frowned and looked down at the crumpled paper for a moment, then carefully unfurled the paper, squinting to read the already messy scrawl made messier by the crinkled paper.

_**NO IT WOULD NOT.  
>LEAVE ME BE.<br>**__**IF YOU DON'T YOU'LL  
><strong>__**END UP ON AN IV.**_

He sighed and crushed the note again, scowling, then shot the back of the blond's hair a glare as he pulled out his own piece of paper. Looking down at the lined sheet, he sighed again and ran a hand through his hair as he wrote his note.

_I was under the impression that poetry was supposed to be romantic._

_Not the way YOU did it._

Seto scowled again.

_What did you want? Shakespeare? You wouldn't be able to understand that!_

_How would YOU know?_

Oh, please, like he would know what the hell Shakespeare was talking about if he read any of that great bard's sonnets. Joey probably didn't even know what a sonnet was.

_Really?_

…_Well you could have used something a little more romantic than my ASS._

Seto frowned. He'd asked Mokuba what his poem should be about and his brother had merely replied that it should be something that he liked about the other person. He'd thought that his ass had been the perfect subject, since it was something that he _really_ liked. Apparently, it should have been something a little less materialistic.

But it was a nice ass just the same.

…_I probably could have chosen something to write about other than your rear end, yes. But you have to admit, you do have a nice ass._

When the blond paused in his reply, he knew his flattery had worked. Flattery always worked unless it wasn't sincere. And he was quite sincere when he said he liked the pup's butt.

_Could've fooled me._

Seto paused, frowning, and wondered how to answer that. Honesty was always a good policy, and usually one he stuck to, but somehow, telling Joey that he liked riling him up just to watch him storm away and take a moment to observe the blond's rear spelled disaster. Then again, explaining it and showing the younger boy his view might help too…

He reached back to feel the lump on the back of his head. It was smaller thanks to alternating ice and heat packs, but it still hurt. He knew the truth, if it angered Joey, would result in another lump on his head. Then again, if it _didn't_ anger Joey and he was a little flattered by it…

Oh, screw it. Better take a page out of Joey's book and fly by the seat of his pants.

_I only made fun of you so you'd get so angry and frustrated you'd stomp away. So I could have more time to look at your ass._

There was no reply this time, and Seto waited with baited breath as he watched the blond's shoulders tense. He was almost relieved when the younger boy's shoulders relaxed, but that sort-of-relieved feeling was short-lived when the blond still failed to reply. _'Oh God he's planning out how he's going to murder me and make it look like a suicide.'_

Apparently, the blond's expression distracted their teacher from solving an equation on the board. She stared at the ex-thug for a moment, absolutely baffled, before asking, "Are you alright, Mr. Wheeler?"

Joey straightened up, and the brunet waited for him to state that he was planning someone's demise. He flinched a little.

Joey blinked at her slowly. "I… Uh…" He glanced over his shoulder at the older boy, showing the brunet that he was just as confused as their teacher was. He looked back up at her. "…I sincerely apologize on behalf of my gender. Boys are _stupid._" He turned to look at the brunet again, brows furrowing together in disbelief. "_Really?_"

Seto slammed his head down on the desk. _'Murder would have been better.'_

"Ya know ya coulda just asked me t' turn around and I woulda let ya look at my butt all ya wanted."

"SHUT UP!" Seto roared. "God! Can't you wait until we're someplace private, mutt?"

"…I hate my job," their poor teacher muttered, turning back to finish the equation on the board despite knowing that none of her students were paying attention and she'd probably have to repeat it later for review before the test. "I hate that you're both in my class. I should have just quit when I first saw the roster."


	5. Drama

Author's Note: Mokuba is about fourteen or fifteen in this story, and Seto and Joey are in their early- to mid-twenties. I couldn't decide just how old I wanted them to be, so you can all decided precisely if you care that much. **:**)

* * *

><p><span>Drama<span>

Seto wasn't sure how he'd acquired a new cook/maid, but he decided he was glad. The mansion had been a mess and, quite frankly, even _he'd_ been afraid of going into some of the rooms. Having someone else clean them for him without asking anything in return had actually been rather helpful.

And seeing the blond scamper around in a long cotton tunic and leggings had been incredibly adorable, especially when he was scrubbing the floor.

Seto leaned his head against the doorway as he watched the younger man hum and happily stir something in the pot over the stone hearth, unable to help a small smile as he watched his younger brother rush back and forth between the pot and the table where he was slicing carrots.

"Kisara, a little more heat please," Joey murmured, reaching out to pet the white dragon's head. He smiled when she spat some fire at the base of the pot. "Thanks. Don't know what I'd do without ya."

As the dragon preened with pride, Mokuba peeked over the edge of the pot. "You're sure Seto's gonna like this? He doesn't usually like soups or stews…" He grimaced. "You remember how he reacted to oden…"

"Your brother needs t' stop actin' like a kid and eat things even if he doesn't like 'em!" The blond huffed and smacked the younger boy's hand away from the pot, knocking the spoon out of his hand. "You'll get it when I say it's done, ya little black hole!"

Deciding to make his presence known, Seto stepped into the room. "I'm home."

"Big brother!"

"_**Mwee!"**_

Joey turned and smiled a little as he watched the younger boy scamper over to tackle him while the little dragon waddled after him, making grabby motions with her claws. "Welcome home." He blushed a little as the brunet glanced up at him and smiled. "Uh—I-I'm glad you're actually in one piece this time."

"Yes, well, the healers said I'm not quite healed enough to go back out," Seto replied, ruffling his brother's hair, before leaning down to scoop up the squealing dragon. "I was only gone for a few hours, Kisara."

"That's a few hours too long!" Mokuba pouted. "We all knew you'd be too hurt to go back out anyway! Why couldn't the healers take your word for it?"

Seto frowned and patted him on the head as he walked over to place the dragon on the hearth again. "We're at war, Mokuba. They need every able-bodied man—they especially need every able-bodied wizard." He reached into the pot just to check if he'd like the broth.

Joey smacked his hand away immediately, scowling. "_NO._"

"Gah! Hitting an injured man!" The brunet frowned and rubbed the back of his hand. "Sometimes I don't know why I keep you around…"

"Because I keep ya fed and I keep yer house clean," the blond replied, taking a quick sip of the broth. He paused thoughtfully, then turned, shooing the two brothers away as he said, "…Needs t' cook a little longer. Go wash up." He moved to the table to begin cleaning up the mess Mokuba had made while helping him chop vegetables. "And _don't_ touch that soup!"

Kisara squealed in distress, then scowled and spat little flames at her master and his brother when they tried to sneak another taste, guarding the soup she'd helped to make. _**"MWEE!"**_

"GAH!" Seto glared at her. "You traitor!"

"_**Mwee!"**_ She snorted some smoke and glared at him, hopping around the pot defensively. Curling around it, she gave her master a short scowl before rearing back and covering it like a mean little lid.

"…It's because he feeds you scraps, isn't it?" The brunet narrowed his eyes. "And that's why you're rounder than you were before he came here."

The dragon's eyes widened before she squealed in outrage and charged off of the hearth. _**"MWEE. MEW. MWEE."**_

Joey could only stare as he watched the wizard sprint out of the room with a dragon hot on his heels. "…I think she's adorable." He glanced at the younger boy and frowned, adding, "She's roly-poly. It's cute."

"…Yeah, but you'd think Seto would know not to comment on a girl's weight," Mokuba muttered, trudging after him. "I'll go convince her to leave him be and get us washed up."

The blond returned to cleaning the table and shook his head. "This family is so weird, I swear." He smiled a little. "But I guess I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't like it."

"—GAH! MOKUBA GET HER OFF ME!"

Joey chuckled. "It's never boring here."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Thank you, Joey. That was delicious."

Joey smiled and pushed the last few bites of potato around his bowl. "Thanks. I'm glad ya enjoyed it."

Kisara hissed, then turned and slipped off the table with a mew of disgruntlement. _**"Mwee!"**_

Seto frowned. "Kisara, please…"

"_**MWEE."**_

"…I think you're on her black list until you bring her something sugary," Mokuba whispered, smiling. "Maybe when you go out tomorrow, Seto."

The brunet paused for a long moment. "…Yeah. Maybe tomorrow." He smiled a little. "But _you_ have some studying to be doing tonight, if I'm not mistaken."

The younger boy blew a raspberry but eventually sighed and nodded. "Yeah, alright." He got up and gave Joey a quick hug before he began upstairs. "I'll study in my room so Joey doesn't distract me this time!"

"I'm not the one distractin' ya-! You distract yourself!" Joey scowled after him, then huffed and stood, grabbing the younger boy's abandoned bowl. "Distract him my ass. Are ya finished?" Once he got a nod, the blond grabbed his empty bowl and began toward the sink. "Somethin' wrong? You've been tense since Mokuba suggested gettin' sweets for Kisara tomorrow."

"…The healers said I wasn't ready to go out again, but…" Seto sighed and stood up, frowning again. "…I won't be healed completely, but I'll be healed enough to go back out in a few days."

The blond turned toward him immediately, eyes wide, and the wizard flinched as the bowls clanked together into the sink. "Se-! A few days? But that's-! You're still healin'!"

"I know, but—Hey!" The older man flinched a little as the blond came over and quickly ripped his shirt open. "Joey-!"

"Look at this! You're still raw, and when ya move too fast, ya rip it!" Joey frowned and reached out, trailing his fingers delicately over the stitches in the brunet's side. "…'nd ya still have that bullet in your shoulder…"

Seto reached up to cup the blond's cheek, smiling awkwardly. "Thank you for the concern, but I'll be fine. I heal quickly. I'm only telling you this because I'm trusting you to take care of Mokuba while I'm gone."

The younger man couldn't help a nervous smile. "Of course. I did last time ya went out there, and—"

Frowning, the wizard cut in, "I'm going out on the front lines, Joey." He saw the blood drain from the blond's face and let his thumb stroke across his cheek gently. "I'm the most powerful wizard our army has, Joey. They need me out there."

Joey let his gaze drift down, unconsciously leaning into the brunet's soft, smooth hand as he quietly asked, "…What about us? People have been leaving the city. I know we're on the edge of it, so this area probably won't be targeted, but rumors… rumors have been spreadin' that this city is one of the major targets…"

"Don't worry. My magic protects this home." Seto smiled. "If I sense even the smallest disturbance in my magic, I'll come home immediately. I _will _protect my home and my family. I promise."

The blond blushed and glanced up at him. "Of course, but, Mokuba and Kisara will be terribly upset if anything happens t' ya, and—"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Would _you_ be upset if something happened to me?" He couldn't help his smile growing as the younger man's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed darker.

Joey looked away from him again, lifting a hand to grasp the brunet's wrist and pull his hand away from his face. "Of course I would. You're not a terrible person, and I'd never wish ill on ya—"

"Is that the… only reason?"

"…No," the blond whispered. "But if you're leavin' for the front lines, I'm not gonna say it. Not until ya come back safe and sound."

Seto leaned down and pressed his lips to the younger man's forehead. "Then I'll just have to make sure I come back safe and sound, won't I?"

Joey smiled awkwardly and leaned against him. "Yes, you will."

"Thank you for taking care of me while I've been wounded—for taking care of Mokuba and the house while I'm gone." The brunet smiled. "I know you don't have to. I know it must get tedious and lonely. But thank you, just the same."

"…It's not so bad. It gives me a place t' sleep and food t' eat." He glanced away awkwardly. "So… I don't mind. A witch told me that ya might need help here when I was lookin' for a job, so… I'm glad ya needed me." He paused. "…That ya still need me."

"I'll always need you. I'm a terrible housekeeper," Seto replied, smiling.

Joey grimaced. "Ugh, I _know._ I was scrubbin' the house for _days._ And then I had t' scrub _myself._ I didn't feel clean for weeks!" He frowned up at the brunet and pouted a little. "Ya need t' start cleanin' up after yourself."

The brunet smirked. "Why should I when I have a lovely little housekeeper that will do it for me?"

"…I s'pose I gotta earn my keep some way," the younger man muttered, smiling slightly, then went up on his toes to kiss the brunet's cheek. "Thank you, Seto."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey frowned as he watched another wave of the city's former residents trudge past the mansion, pulling the curtains back a little to see how far into the city the group went. "God, is there even anyone _left_ in the city…?"

Mokuba squeezed between the blond and the window to peer outside as well. "It doesn't really look like it, does it?"

"No." He sighed, brows furrowing together worriedly. Seto had been gone for a little over a month, but they hadn't gotten any letters informing them of his injury or death. "…Well, let's look at the bright side. Fewer people askin' for potions. Hell, with this many people out of the city, maybe we're not even a desirable target anymore."

The younger boy looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. "Maybe."

Joey let the curtains fall back in place. "It makes me wonder whether _we_ should leave though."

Mokuba shook his head immediately and walked over to the table to return to his studying. "Seto's magic is still tied to the mansion. Even if we left, if something happened here, he'd return. And how would we tell him we'd left? Where would we even go?"

"…Point taken," the blond muttered, scooping Kisara up and holding her to his chest. "I'm worried, though. They've sighted some flyin' war ships up the coast. They wouldn't be too far away."

"Nothing will happen. There's no one here. There's no _point_ in attacking the city."

Joey pressed his cheek to Kisara's warm, scaly body and went to stand by the window again, looking up at the gray sky. "…I want your brother t' come home," he whispered, frowning. "I want this war t' be over and I want all of the soldiers t' go home t' their families."

Mokuba frowned and picked up his quill, dipping the tip into the well of black ink. "I think that's what everyone wants, Joey. Come on, stop watching everyone leave. You know it just depresses you."

"…But they're all leaving their homes…"

"Joey, shut the curtains and come help me find the red ink."

Joey sighed and gave the people passing one last look, then slid the curtains shut and walked over to the shelves to poke around the different jars. "Your brother musta moved it before he left. It's not where I put it."

"Gah! Would it kill him to put things where he found them?"

The blond rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Like you're so much better." He couldn't help chuckling as he felt something thump against his back; he assumed it was the scroll he'd been studying.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto's injured again. He's on his way home."

Joey frowned and opened the cupboard. "Does the letter say when he's going to be home?"

"It says three or four days, but you know them; the letters were always sent only a day or two ahead of him." Mokuba checked the date scrawled at the top of the letter and sighed. "So it'll probably be tomorrow or the next day. But Seto was right—we're losing men every day and they won't wait until he's completely healed to send him back out, even to the front lines."

"So I should make his favorite for dinner tomorrow," the blond muttered, beginning to shuffle through the refrigerator. He scowled. "Ugh, we're out of beef. And of course the butcher already left… Probably salted his meats and took them with him, too…"

The younger boy smiled awkwardly. "Seto probably wouldn't mind whatever you make, Joey."

"But he's injured and he's gonna want comfort food." The blond stood up straight and frowned, sighing quietly. "…I guess I could run t' the next town over. Maybe they're still there. Or I could break into the butcher's place and see if he has anything…" He sighed again, rubbing the back of his head, then clapped his hands together as he came to his determined conclusion. "Alright. I'm gonna run over t' the town over the hill and get some fuckin' beef filets."

Mokuba sighed as well and scratched the back of his head, then stood from the table. "I guess I'll come with you. Maybe I can buy some more red ink there." He scowled. "I can't believe how much red ink Seto used. What did he even use it for?"

Joey blushed and glanced away. He didn't want to tell the younger boy that the night before Seto had left he'd spent much of the night painting a spell circle onto his back. Seto hadn't told him what the spell had been for, but it had required a lot of red ink. Not as much as had been missing, of course, so Seto had probably done another spell circle somewhere else, but still-! It had taken so much ink!

"Kisara, do you want to come with us?" the younger boy asked, peeking into the laundry basket. "We won't be back until tonight. Tomorrow morning, if it's too dark to travel home."

"_**Mwee."**_ The little dragon cuddled up in one of the blond's tunics and sighed.

Joey chuckled. "I guess you're gonna take this time t' sleep while we're gone. I know you've been stayin' up t' guard the mansion while your master's gone." He reached into the laundry basket to pet her gently. "You just rest. I'll bring ya some sweets."

She cooed and dug her claws lightly into another shirt—one of Seto's that had been left behind. _**"Mwee."**_

Mokuba reached out to pat her wings like he'd seen his brother do and smiled a little when she purred. "He'll be back soon, Kisara. And when this stupid war is over, he'll be back for good."

"Take good care of the house while we're gone," Joey whispered as he watched her eyes drift closed. "But take good care of yourself, too."

She purred a little louder. _**"Mwee."**_

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I want to go," Seto growled, slamming his fist feebly against the wooden door. "I _want_ to _go!_"

"Sir, with all due respect," one of the soldiers escorting him began. "GET THE FUCK BACK HERE. THERE ARE BOMBS GOING OFF."

The brunet scowled and dug his nails into the wood, brows furrowing together in frustration as he felt his magic pulling and twisting. The magic he'd used to fortify the mansion, to keep it standing despite whatever weather came, curled and pulled wildly, still trying to protect the old wood and the things kept inside it. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to coil the magic tight, to continue protecting his home and the people he cared for inside of it.

He groaned, sweat dampening his brow as he felt the coil of magic strain, seeming to shake in his metaphorical hands. He slammed his hand against the door and shuddered, trying desperately to hold his magic steady. His home depended on it—his brother and dragon—and he had to return and tell Joey how he felt—

Seto gasped as he felt the taut spirals of magic snap, eyes flying open as the hollow twang rang in his ears. The threads of magic he'd woven around and through his home had broken under the strain, and he could feel other objects in the mansion that still had his magic in or around them being consumed by hot flames or crushed as explosions ripped everything apart.

So much of his magic was being torn asunder that he couldn't tell what the sources were. Was it just objects being torn apart, things he could replace, or was one of those things Kisara? Was it Mokuba? What about Joey? He'd put a spell circle on Mokuba's back while he was sleeping, and he'd used a spell to harden his dragon's scales, but those spells would be useless if a bomb had actually landed on or near the mansion.

Oh God. That's what had happened. The enemy was bombing his city and his mansion had been hit.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…So much for Seto getting a meal of comfort food," Mokuba muttered, scowling.

Joey glared at him. "So much for your fuckin' red ink!"

Their shopping, unfortunately, had to be abandoned when they'd heard the screaming sirens signaling an air raid. They'd been halfway between the next town and the city, and they'd actually heard the roaring of the flying warships as they sprinted for the only cover they could find—a patch of blackberry bushes up against the side of a hill.

They weren't sure how long the air raid was. They could only tell time was passing as the sky that had been turning pinkish as the afternoon faded into evening turned a deep red, hazy with smoke from the ground-shaking bombs' explosions. Mokuba had wanted to leave as soon as the ground stopped shaking and the roaring warships had left, but Joey had told him in no uncertain terms that they would be staying in the bushes until they could use the cover of night.

He wasn't sure why, but something within him told him that he should listen to the older boy. He wasn't sure what Joey had done before he'd come to be their housekeeper—he wasn't even sure who had decided Joey would work for them—but for some reason, he knew it was something that should be respected. And, if it wasn't respected, it should at least be feared.

Mokuba grimaced as he felt something scratch across his leg uncomfortably. "I'll never be able to get all of the thorns out of my clothes."

"It's not like you don't have more," Joey snapped. "What a waste of money."

"It's better than you who have two of the same tunic and three of the same leggings!" the younger boy muttered. He yelped as the blond grabbed his collar and lifted him slightly. "Gah!"

"Those were all I had in the army," Joey hissed, glaring at him. "That's all _any_ of us had in the army."

Mokuba frowned, confused. The people of their army wore smarter uniforms than that. The enemy's army wore more respectable clothing than tunics and leggings, too. Though there was a rumor about an elite group of fighters trained by the king himself to pretend to be peasants and infiltrate enemy troops to beg for food—then they'd attack, doped up on a drug that made them impervious to pain so that all they needed to do was kill and kill and kill until finally they fell from blood loss or dismemberment.

"…You're from the enemy's side," he breathed, horrified. "Did they send you to kill my brother? Me?"

Joey glared at the younger boy for a few moments, then sighed, the dangerous glint in his eyes fading as he sagged tiredly and allowed the wizard-in-training to stand on his own two feet again. "…No. None of us ever _wanted_ to be part of that team. But we were all in jail for one thing or another and with the strain of war, it was decided that even the prisoners be put to use." He glanced away, frowning. "…Those with lighter sentences were just put in the regular army. But the people with harsher sentences were made into suicide killers."

Mokuba took a few steps back. "You—That really—Those _exist?_"

The blond looked away and sighed again, hugging himself. "Yeah. And we usually don't have a choice, but… somethin' went wrong before I could get t' the company I was s'posed t' infiltrate. The guards takin' me t' the rendezvous point took a wrong turn, and we stumbled right into the enemy camp." He shuddered at the memory. "Killed the guards on sight. Only reason they didn't kill me was 'cause I cried and told 'em they'd kidnapped me from my home t' join their army. They let me go and I just ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore."

"…And then that witch sent you to our home," the younger boy whispered, stunned. "Into the house of the most powerful wizard in the kingdom."

"I didn't know that at the time." Joey ducked his head. "She just said you guys needed a housekeeper and before I was arrested I was pretty good at keepin' house."

Mokuba took another nervous step backward. "You said prisoners with harsher sentences. What exactly did you _do?_"

"…Some guy was gettin' rough with my sister while she was volunteerin' at the hospital. When he didn't stop, and I saw that no one was helpin' her, I beat the crap out of him. I didn't know he'd been injured before, so when I was punchin' him, I opened his wounds again on top of givin' him more. He died a few days later. His army buddies weren't happy about that, so I was pretty busted up when I was sent to prison." The blond shuddered. "I know I can't go home now. Word would get back t' the army somehow and they'd just catch me again. …I don't wanna die like that, doped up so that I can't feel anything even as I'm killin' people."

He shuddered again at the thought. "I wanna feel. I don't ever wanna be forced t' hurt anyone again. Especially when I don't agree with this stupid war. I don't even understand what we're fightin' about. If I don't know why, I don't wanna be a part of it. And I sure as hell don't wanna hurt other people who are only fightin' because they feel it's their duty t' the king, not 'cause they actually support whatever they're fightin' for."

Mokuba frowned. "…You… don't know what this war is about? How could you _not_ know?"

"I…" Joey flinched. "I was always too busy workin' and takin' care of my sister. It doesn't matter, though. All wars start the same: One side gets pissed, they make some sort of dick move, the other side retaliates, the first side gets pissed at bein' punished for their stupidity and decide it was all the other side's fault, and begin war."

The younger boy tilted his head. "…I guess that is how the war started, basically," he admitted quietly.

"We better get back t' the mansion," the blond suggested after a moment. "Kisara's probably worried sick."

"…Yeah." Mokuba smiled awkwardly. "Come on. We should be able to see the mansion from the top of this hill."

Joey managed a small smile in return. "Okay."

The awkward silence was broken by a horrified gasp as they reached the top of the hill. The city was ruined, fires still sending smoke billowing into the air as they took in the large gaping hole nearby. The thought of 'that bomb could have been us' flew through their heads for a moment, but then Mokuba gasped again.

"THE MANSION IS GONE!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto stumbled to a stop in front of what remained of the mansion, one hand pressed to his throbbing side as he stared at the heap of burning lumber and ash. He didn't want to believe it was gone. It was all a bad dream. He would wake up any minute now to find that he'd been dreaming the whole thing. He'd hug his lover to reassure himself that he was okay, then go check on his brother. He'd smile when he found Kisara tucked up against Mokuba's side, both of them deeply asleep. He'd go back to bed and Joey would sleepily ask him what was wrong. He'd tell him he just needed to check on something and they'd both fall asleep again.

This was… this was _stupid._ This whole war was _stupid!_ WHO DID THOSE ROYALS THINK THEY WERE?

"Sir? Sir, we can take you back to the camp—"

"Don't you fucking touch me," he hissed, glaring at nearest piece of burnt lumber. "Leave. Just _go._"

"But, sir, we can't just leave you here—"

Seto scowled and let his magic flare up threateningly. He sensed the soldiers backing off and let out a rumble of frustration. His home… everything he'd worked so hard for… All of it was gone. He had to start over. And Mokuba and Joey… Would he even find their bodies, or did all of burning magical objects make the fire hot enough that they were mixed in with the ashes?

"_**Mm!"**_

Seto jerked slightly, groaning as he pulled at both his tender old injury and his new stitches. "_GOD._" Hearing the muffled noise again, he stumbled over to it, clawing the charred boards away. "Kisara? Kisara!"

"_**Mmyu!"**_

"God damn it. God _damn_ it." Shoving aside a few last pieces of burnt timber, he saw a little pile of ash trembling against what was left of a wall. "Kisara?"

The little pile blinked its blue eyes open, squinting up at him warily, then squealed and waddled over to him, lifting her front legs so she could make grabby motions with her claws. _**"Mwee! Mweeee!"**_

"Oh, Kisara!" Seto pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I thought I lost you. That spell must have protected you more than I thought it would." Something was hanging from her tail—some scrap of cloth. Frowning, he pulled it away and examined it.

He felt his heart break. "Joey…" His tunic was scorched and had probably only survived because the dragon had been on top of it.

Joey was gone. And if Joey was gone, Mokuba probably was too.

'_I… I broke my promise.'_ He shuddered and held the dragon tightly, unable to help a broken sob. "I should have been here. I should have been here to protect you." How was he supposed to go on alone? He didn't know how to be by himself. Mokuba was always there. And Joey… he'd been about to…

"_Is that the… only reason?"_

"…_No. But if you're leavin' for the front lines, I'm not gonna say it. Not until ya come back safe and sound."_

Seto sobbed again. "I'm so sorry. I should have been here."

Kisara mewed helplessly and snuggled closer to him. _**"Mwee."**_

"I'm sorry, Kisara." The brunet stroked her still too-warm scales and hugged her tightly. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

She mewed again and swiped his cheek with her tongue. _**"Mwee!"**_

"Whatta ya mean we can't go through?"

"Get the hell outta my way! It's _my_ fucking house!"

Seto turned, surprised, and couldn't help feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him when he saw the guards holding his brother back while Joey frantically tried to calm him down because Mokuba could be a little pistol when he was fired up. His family was safe. They were all alive. He hadn't sensed the magic he'd cast on his brother or housekeeper diminishing because they hadn't been there at the time.

He was so relieved he couldn't even move. "Oh, God. Mokuba! Joey!"

They turned sharply at the sound of his voice. Mokuba gasped and reached out to him. "Seto!" But he couldn't run to him because the guards still had a hold of him.

Seto took a breath to snarl at the guards, but then Joey reached out and grabbed their wrists, and the younger boy took his chance to run as twin snaps rent the air, followed by howls of pain. Then, the blond made his way over to them as well, pausing here or there to pick through the ash and burnt timber to see if there was anything salvageable.

Seto groaned as the younger boy tackled him but ignored the painful tug of his wound, instead hugging the younger boy tightly. "I thought you and Joey were gone."

Mokuba whimpered quietly. "We were gone to the next town over to get some inks and Joey wanted to get some beef fillets so that you could have some comfort food when you got home!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I used all of the red ink and that Joey likes me so much," the brunet whispered, smiling. "I'm so glad you're both okay." He looked up at Joey, having expected to be hugged or something to show he'd missed him too, and raised an eyebrow when he saw the blond digging under a stack of burnt lumber. "…What are you doing?"

"Lookin' for somethin'," the younger man replied, then smiled and pulled a tattered book from the ashes, brushing the gray dust from the cover gently. "I bought this just before ya left for the front lines. The man I bought it from said it could survive anything, even a fire! I'm glad I found it." Turning, he presented it to the brunet. "Here. At least one of your books survived."

Seto accepted it and frowned when he saw the Latin words on the cover. "This is a book full of protection spells. …I've already used this book. I thought it was one of mine that I just didn't remember picking up." He looked up at the blond and smiled a little. "It's the book I used to make that spell circle on your back, and the one I used for Mokuba and Kisara, too."

Joey's smile brightened. "So it was useful? I didn't really know. I just picked somethin' with magic symbols on it."

At that, both the wizard and his brother could only stare, and even Kisara had a deadpanned, if ashy, gaze. It figured that Joey would buy something just to be thoughtful and whatever he'd bought turned out to be something surprisingly helpful. Sort of like he'd been when he just showed up and said, 'Lemme clean your house.'

Joey glanced over his shoulder, grimaced, then finally came forward to hug the brunet and hid his face in his neck. "'m gonna hide here…"

"Hide?" Seto was baffled.

Until he saw the murderous looking soldiers advancing on them.

"You're not touching a hair on his head. It's your fault for manhandling my little brother."

The lead guard pointed behind him at the two that had been holding Mokuba back, being tended to by another guard with minor healing magic. "But sir, he broke their wrists!"

Seto raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the blond. "Alright, I admit breaking their wrists is rather uncalled for."

Joey snuggled closer. "Just wanted 'em t' let go of your brother."

"…You're right. They still shouldn't have been manhandling my brother." The brunet sighed as Kisara dug her claws into his shirt, knowing that there would be little holes left in it. "You're ruining my only shirt, Kisara."

Mokuba huffed. "_My_ clothes are ruined, too. I'll never get all of the thorns out of them!"

Seto blinked. "Thorns…?"

Joey leaned back and scowled. "Boo-fuckin'-hoo! It's not as if I can't make more clothes for ya if ya don't wanna pay for a new wardrobe!"

"I like this shirt!"

The blond glared at him for a moment, grinding his teeth, then squeaked as the soldiers advanced on them again. Ducking behind the brunet, he peeked over his shoulder at them nervously. "As long as I'm around to do it, anyway."

Seto sighed, finally losing his patience with the well-meaning but stupid soldiers that had been sent to escort him home. "Kisara, they called you fat."

Kisara sat up immediately, eyes blazing, and looked around wildly for the perpetrators. _**"MWEE!"**_

Holding the dragon up to lock her gaze firmly on the guards, he added, "Those guys. They think you're fat."

"_**MWEE."**_ She narrowed her eyes and began flailing her legs as if she was running.

Seto set her down on the ground and watched as she immediately charged at the guards, eyes blazing and shrieking her little battle cries. "I'll get her some sweets later."

Mokuba frowned. "If you think she's so overweight, why do you keep giving her sweets?"

"…Because she looks up at me with that face and I can't say no," the brunet sighed, looking utterly defeated. "I'm whipped."

"Not t' mention that she gets so much exercise chasin' people around when they insult her," Joey added.

The younger boy scowled. "How come she never chases _you_ around, anyway? She's bitten me and Seto, but she never bites you."

The blond glared back at him. "'cause I'm not the one stupid enough t' tell her she's fat! Besides, she's not fat, she's just roly-poly!" He crossed his arms and nodded, satisfied with his own answer even as the other two continued to gape at him. "Yeah. Just roly-poly."

"How is roly-poly not as bad as saying she's gained a few pounds?" Seto exclaimed, frustrated. "My God, I thought she'd bite my balls off last time!"

"…Yeah. Even a socially inept moron like you should know not t' comment on a girl's weight," the younger man replied, huffing.

"…You said you had something to tell me," the brunet suddenly remembered. "You said you'd tell me when I came back."

Joey glanced around at the smoldering remnants of the city around them, then huffed again. "Well I don't wanna tell ya _here._ This isn't romantic and if ya hadn't noticed I'm kinda out of a job." When the brunet only blinked at him, he sighed, managing a playful half-smile. "Well, how am I s'posed t' keep house if there's no house t' keep?"

Seto looked flabbergasted. "That's right. We have no home." He looked down at his feet and sighed, eyebrow twitching as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess I could use my magic to rebuild the mansion, but all of these destroyed buildings would be an eyesore."

"…We could always go somewhere else." Mokuba muttered so the guards wouldn't hear (even though they were currently running around screaming anyway). "Somewhere that isn't at war. Somewhere we can stay and not have to worry if you'll come back—and if you do come back, if you'll be in one piece."

The brunet frowned. "…I suppose that's a good idea, but after all of the effort I've put in, fighting for our kingdom and getting injured twice already…"

"I won't sleep with ya if you're missin' any limbs," Joey stated firmly.

"I hear Domino is a beautiful place, and it's nowhere near the war." Seto smiled. "Let's move there."

"…I suppose I've always wanted t' visit there, yeah." The blond scratched his cheek idly as he watched Kisara latch onto one of the guard's legs. "Okay." He peeked up at the older man and smiled still. "But… once we're in the privacy of our own home…" He glanced away and bit his bottom lip. "…Then I'll tell ya. If ya still want me t' say it, then I'll tell ya."

The brunet nodded. "I'll tell you right now that I will want you to say it then. And I'll hold you to it."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and snorted in disgust. "That's so gross. Stop flirting—you're both too old for that!"

Joey glared at him, then calmly stated, "Kisara, Mokuba thinks you're fat, too."

The dragon immediately turned, making a beeline for the wizard-in-training. _**"MWEE!"**_

"I HATE YOU!" Mokuba roared, then took off running.

Seto pulled the blond into a hug and buried his face in his hair. "I found Kisara with one of your tunics and I thought the worst. I wanted to die. So you _have_ to tell me how you feel once I find a house for us and we're settled in."

The younger man blinked slowly, then smiled and let his eyes drift closed. "Alright. I promise I will."

"…But how the hell am I supposed to pay for anything in Domino?" the brunet muttered, frowning a little. "I suppose I can continue making potions for profit. I'll need to pay for some books with the recipes in them. Then I'll need to either buy the ingredients or pick them myself—"

Joey scowled. "There are bound to be other towns that are abandoned and we can scrounge. Now shut the fuck up and just hold me!"

Seto sighed, lips quirking up into a smile again as he held the blond tighter. "Alright. I'll worry about it later."

"Damn right you will."


	6. Adventure

Author's Note: This challenge killed me, but at the same time, it helped me, I think. :) Especially in suspense. Suspense was lovely, don't you think? I tried things I normally wouldn't, and it was fun.

…WHYYYY does this adventure seem to lack adventure? Am I just terrible at action?

* * *

><p><span>Adventure<span>

"Hey. _Hey!_"

Joey jerked, eyes fluttering open slowly, then relaxed against the warm chest he was pressed against, staring sightlessly at his lap. "…Hurts…"

"You _did _take a nasty fall," Seto muttered, awkwardly pressing his hand against the bloody wound on the blond's skull. He glanced up at the side of the cliff they'd fallen down and frowned. "…A very nasty fall indeed…"

He knew it was his fault, though. He'd started an argument with Joey after they'd run into each other. He knew he could probably base a lot of it on their emotions running high during the hunt, but he really should have known better than to bait the younger boy while they where already worked up. It hadn't helped that their dragons had been left in the village, recovering from a battle with a neighboring tribe, so they hadn't had anything to stabilize their emotions.

Joey may have thrown the first punch, but Seto had baited him into it. It was his fault the fight had escalated so much. It was his fault that the ground they'd been standing on had given under the sudden pressure of two bodies slamming into it, sending them rolling down the cliff until they crashed into the river below. None of that would have happened if he'd kept his stupid mouth shut.

Now Joey was seriously injured, and it would take at least two days to get back to the village. Three, with the limp he had. He could only hope that Joey could last that long.

"…I'm going to get us back to the village, Joey. Try to stay awake as long as you can, okay?" He cringed as the blond let out a breathless mew of pain, but he supposed that was the best the younger boy could do when he had a head wound. "Fuck… Okay, here we go."

Joey mewed again as he felt himself being lifted and laid his head on the brunet's shoulder, feeling as if his skull was throbbing in preparation for an explosion. He was certain that his headache was going to get much worse.

Seto grunted as his leg throbbed with pain. He'd hurt it badly when he'd tried to stop his descent. Luckily, nothing had actually broken; it was just a deep bruise. He grit his teeth as his head began to throb in tandem with his leg injury, vision swimming for a moment—he'd bruised it down to the bone. It could take months for it to heal, and it would be excruciating until then, which it wouldn't do until he relieved the stress on it. He couldn't do that until he got them back to the village to be taken care of.

"…'m too heav…?" The younger boy whimpered. "—Too heav' fer y-?"

"No," Seto stated immediately, both because he didn't want the blond to worry and because he didn't want to seem weak. "No, you're not too heavy, Joey."

"…C'n put me down… 'm too hea… p' me down…"

The brunet scowled. "Joey, shut up. I am not going to leave you behind."

"…Hnn… Sick…! Gon' si—"

Before Seto could even begin to comprehend what he meant, the blond jerked in his arms, body heaving violently. The older boy sighed and rolled his eyes skyward as he felt the blond's vomit splatter down his chest. "…I hate my life."

Sighing quietly, he turned and limped back to the river. While he knew they needed to get back to the village, being covered in vomit would only draw predators to them, and he didn't have the strength or the energy to protect both of them from anything that might decide they would be a great snack.

If Joey puked on him again, though, he was certain that he'd want to kill anything within a five mile radius.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto gently placed the blond up against a boulder, cupping his cheek tenderly. "Are you okay? Will you be okay here while I get a fire started?"

"Hng…" Joey's glazed-over eyes drifted up to his face slowly. "…I…" He moaned as the brunet pulled his hand away and whimpered. "'m tired…!"

"You can sleep after I've got a fire started and have fed you… something." The older boy frowned and looked around. This part of the forest was known best for its meager food offerings. If it came to worst, he could probably convince the blond to eat some leaves. Those could get them by until they got to a better part of the forest.

"Se… Set'…" The blond reached out and caught his pants lightly. "Don' leave me…!"

"I'll be back," Seto assured, forcing the younger boy's hand to release him—not that it took much to loosen his grip. "I won't be far away. You'll be safe here." He wasn't actually sure how safe it was, but it would definitely be safer for him to lie low against a rock than to be wandering around looking for firewood and food. "Trust me."

Joey whimpered but allowed the brunet to place some branches over him in a sort of makeshift shelter. "C'm back soo…"

The brunet stepped backward to examine his handiwork. He could barely see the younger boy beneath the fir branches. That was good; hopefully, only the hungriest scavengers would find him, if any found him at all. "I'll be back soon."

He hoped he could find something they could eat; Joey was already weak and tired, so he shouldn't be hungry on top of that. And, for some reason, Seto felt his hunter instincts kicking in like they would if he had a life-partner. He knew that under no circumstances would Joey be the complacent little submissive, but somehow, he seemed attractive now, and the idea of wrestling around in bed once they were both healed until he finally managed to pin the blond down and—

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought," he muttered, scowling, and contemplated slamming his skull against a tree just to _try_ and jostle his brain back into some semblance of order.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Uhn…" Joey shivered and cowered further behind the branches that were serving as both his protection and camouflage. His vision was clearing, even though his head still throbbed and he felt nauseous when he moved too quickly. That left him vulnerable, especially from the giant duocorn nosing around the fire nearby.

He vaguely cursed whatever asshole magician decided that an evil, more aggressive form of unicorn was a brilliant idea. Now that the big war between all of the tribes was over (despite the small skirmishes between villages), the duocorns had nothing to do but wander and follow their instincts which, as made by the magicians, were to kill any human they came across and devour them. There wasn't a decent or merciful bone in their bodies.

He's seen a duocorn tear apart two women and a child even as they begged for mercy before a dragon had finally taken notice and killed it.

Joey muffled a squeak as the duocorn wandered closer, trembling back against the boulder in terror. Seto said he'd be safe here. THIS WASN'T VERY SAFE. He couldn't even protect himself or run away-! He was just going to… to sit there and wait for the duocorn to discover him and kill him!

The duocorn snorted, its hairy nose twitching as it stepped closer to the branches. Its eyes sharpened and darkened maliciously as it lifted its head, and the blond couldn't help but whimper when those evil eyes seemed to peer straight into his.

That whimper seemed to be the last confirmation of his existence that the duocorn needed, because it immediately lunged toward him, its two sharp horns jamming through the thin branches. Joey lunged to the side, just barely escaping the horns that would have split his skull split open; unfortunately, they still clipped him, reopening the wound on the back of his head and knocking him senseless. His vision swam in front of him, and his stomach twisted painfully, making him keen and fall onto his side, twitching as he tried desperately not to vomit again.

All he could do was peer up meekly, knowing he was going to die as the duocorn reared back, readying itself to bring its front hooves to come crashing down on his body. His thoughts scrambled for a minute, somewhere between prayers and regrets to give him the single clear thought of, _'Seto said I'd be safe here.'_ He had the vaguest thought that while he was usually the protector, he'd _really_ enjoy being protected for a change, especially right now.

Then one of the burning branches from the fire was thrust into one of the evil equine's eyes.

Joey watched the brunet he'd always fought with slam into the duocorn's side, drawing the knife from his waist to slice through the evil creature's throat in one swift movement. He flinched as the shiny black blood sprayed everywhere, some even making it through the branches to splatter on him. He blinked as the duocorn seemed to crumple and fall immediately, even though it should have had at least a few more moments of life left.

Seto slammed the knife into the duocorn's skull, glaring at it, then immediately turned and swept the branches out of the way to gather the stunned blond into his arms. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"

"—Hurts," he managed after trying to gather his thoughts. "Head. It hurts."

The brunet carefully lifted his hand to cup the wound, frowning in concern. "Someone has it out for you, that's for sure… Here, let me see."

Joey whined as the older boy's fingers prodded his wound, glaring at him in confusion and hurt. "That _hurts,_ assho—"

"I KNOW IT HURTS," Seto snapped, making the blond suddenly shrink under him. "Do you think I'm doing this because I _want_ to make you suffer? I'm just trying to make sure you're not hurt more than you were before. So _shut up_ and let me do this!"

The younger boy squeezed his eyes shut but allowed the brunet to check his wound, feeling sick and hurt and disoriented as the pain suddenly worsened. "Hck-!"

"Don't throw up on me again."

"Ngh-! Huuurrrrrrssssss…!"

Seto frowned as he pulled the messy golden locks away from the wound, even though they were already matted with blood. "I know it hurts, Joey. Damn it…" He sighed and held the younger boy's head to his chest. "…Maybe Ishizu can heal it some when we get back…" He glanced at the duocorn's carcass and scowled as the magic that had consumed it left nothing but rotten meat on the ancient bones. "…Guess we're not getting any food tonight."

He carried the blond over to sit next to the fire, tossing some more branches from the pile of wood he'd made onto the glowing embers, then placed the younger boy on his lap and held him. Joey mewed, confused. "Se-?"

"It's going to get cold tonight. This fire should keep us warm enough, but just in case, we should share body heat," the brunet explained slowly. "We'll travel out of this area tomorrow, and once we're someplace relatively safe with a decent amount of game, I'll look for something you can eat."

Joey grunted and squirmed a little, feeling useless when his head began to spin and his stomach lurched in response. "But… bu' I don' wan… Set'…"

"Shh. Don't worry. I'll make sure we get back to the village safely," Seto assured, forcing the blond to lay his head down on his shoulder. He didn't feel very confident in his ability to hunt, though.

It was agonizing to just walk, especially while carrying Joey. He was tired, hungry, and in pain. He was certain he could make it if he was going alone—faster, too—and he could send someone back for Joey once he got to the village—

But… what if Joey moved? He was so hurt, and sometimes he got so disoriented that he wasn't even aware that he was moving. If Seto left him, there was a possibility he might wander off, into the path of a more dangerous predator that could snap him up easily. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened—that he'd sacrificed Joey to be able to get to the village faster.

…He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. He was certain he wouldn't make the journey back to the village if he was carrying Joey, but he was just as certain that something bad would happen to him if he left him behind. Why did Joey have to have a head injury? Why couldn't he have it somewhere else—

"—_I'll kill ya!" Joey snarled, tackling the brunet to the ground._

_Seto grunted as his back hit the ground, the air being knocked out of him as he took the brunt of the blond's weight. Or at least, he __**thought**__ he was taking the brunt of his weight, until he felt the earth give beneath him._

_He saw Joey's eyes widen as the edge of the overhang they'd come to a stop on gave, rumbled, gave again. He opened his mouth to say something—he wasn't sure what, but it probably wouldn't have helped—but then the mud and dirt beneath of him finally gave out completely._

_Seto yelped as his back scraped over some jagged shale, from the small of his back all the way up his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting it to slice right through the back of his skull, but then his head was hugged to the younger boy's chest, so his arms took the majority of the damage. He looked up to see the blond's face twist in pain as they slammed into a protruding branch that flipped them around._

_He saw Joey's head smack against the cliff as they fell, heard the crack of his skull, watched his eyes roll back as he lost consciousness. He tried to use his heel to slow their descent, reaching out to grab the younger boy as he began to fall away, but then his foot jammed against something, a rock or another branch, perhaps, and he felt such a sharp pain he almost passed out himself._

_They flipped over again, but this time, he was so disoriented that he didn't know what was going on. He felt the blond slip from his grip. He tried to grab him again but had no idea where he was or how far away he'd gone. He slammed into a boulder, ribs creaking in complaint as the air was knocked out of him again._

_The next thing he remembered was breaking the surface of the river below, mixed-up and in pain. He saw the water stained pink nearby and began grabbing blindly through it until he caught something that felt like flesh; it was the blond's thigh. He pulled him closer and yanked him up wildly, brushing his hair out of his face as he frantically pulled his chest up to his ear._

_There was a pulse. It was slow, too slow, but it was there._

It… had been to protect him. Joey had taken the head injury to make sure he wouldn't get hurt.

Seto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "…I'll get us home somehow, Joey," he whispered, reaching back to lightly touch the lump on the back of his head.

Joey mewed in complaint and leaned closer to escape his hand, unconsciously leaning in and brushing his lips over throat. "Se…to…"

The brunet huffed. The younger boy had no idea how much trouble they were both in.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto groaned and leaned forward to rest his shoulder against the nearest tree, panting. "This is too much. God, this is too much."

Joey mewed, hugging around his neck tighter. "'m I too heavy? Ya can pu' me dow'… Seto… pu' me down…"

The brunet scowled and tightened his grip around the younger boy's thighs. "No. I'm getting us home. We'll be fine."

"But… Set'…"

"We'll be _fine,_" he repeated, gritting his teeth.

Shifting Joey from his arms to his back had made the trip a bit easier, but he was still tired and hurting from his own wounds. He hadn't been able to find anything but some fruit for their food, and his strength was waning. He didn't know how much of the constant ache he could take. It would take at least another day of travel to get them home, and honestly… he wasn't sure he could make it that far anymore.

He wanted so badly to just curl up into a ball and stay there until someone else found him, but he didn't think Joey could wait that long. But… how was he supposed to get Joey somewhere safe if he hurt too much to move?

"S-S… Set…" Joey whimpered and turned his head. "Set me dow'… 'm gonna… Hng-!"

"…Just throw up," Seto sighed. "I don't care if you get it on me anymore."

And he really didn't. This close to the village, the larger predators usually tried to avoid them—mostly because their dragon partners weren't too far away. Of course, that wasn't the only reason. He wasn't certain that if he set Joey down, he could get him back up. Not because of Joey's will, either; he doubted his body could handle the added weight again. His leg was throbbing and trembling so badly that each step itself was a trial. He marveled at the fact that he'd even made it as far as he had.

He heard Joey wretch and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt warm liquid trickling down his arm. Bracing more against the tree as the blond gasped and heaved harder, he groaned as he felt the younger boy shaking against his back, aggravating the scrapes he'd incurred from the shale. "That hurts…!"

Joey whimpered and laid his head against the brunet's shoulder, panting as he tried to recover. "'m still… Seto… 'm still—"

The older boy sighed and shook his head as he stood up straight again, doing his best to ignore the feeling of wet-sticky-ew on his arm. "If you're still feeling sick, just… go ahead. I don't care anymore…"

"…Sure…?"

"I'm sure," he replied, then began limping forward again. "Not like I can do much about it anyway."

"Mm… Set'… I… When we get ho… home… 'm gonna make… somethin' special fer ya…" Joey shuddered as the brunet stumbled a little, trying to tighten his weak grip on him. "Hnn… Somethin'… really… special…"

Seto paused to catch his breath. "Yeah? Like what?"

"…Somethin'… yummy…"

"I should have known. Hmm." Stumbling to a stop in confusion, the brunet teetered awkwardly as he lifted his gaze from his feet to their surroundings. "…Oh God. I forgot about this hill." He groaned as he felt his leg throb harder, as if to remind him that it was just barely working on level ground. "Shit. Damn it. Shit. Fuck."

Joey mewed questioningly, only to yelp as they suddenly fell to the ground, cringing when the brunet reached back to cup the back of his throbbing head. "Ouuuuch!"

Seto hissed as his attempt to save the blond's head from even more damage caused his knuckles to crack against the hard dirt. "Damn it-!" He shuddered as his leg was pressed into the ground when the younger boy accidentally landed on it. "Ow damn it get off!" he snapped, just barely refraining from shoving him away.

"Hng?" He moved off of the older boy compliantly. "Seto-?"

"Just a second." Groaning quietly, he tried to roll onto his knees, but a pain more intense than before shot up his thigh through his hip so fast that he was winded and fell back to the ground pathetically. "It's broken. Oh, God, it's broken."

Joey reached out to touch his leg gently, pulling his hand back quickly when the brunet groaned in pain. "It really broke…?"

"I've been walking on an injured leg for two days, Joey," Seto muttered, sitting up and tenderly grasping his thigh. "Ugh. I'm not going anywhere. Especially not up this hill." He turned to gaze up the steep hill, frowning, then sighed. "…You could probably make it. If you just went right up that hill and kept going straight, you'd run into someone eventually."

"…No…" Joey slid over to sit beside him and wrapped his arms around him, eyes drifting closed as he carefully pulled the brunet's shoulders onto his lap. He placed his arm beneath the older boy's head and sighed. "…I don' think I… c'n make it…"

Seto frowned and reached up to cup his cheek. "Yes you can. And then you can send someone back for me. It'll work out."

"I can't…" The blond shuddered and turned his head. "'m gonna… I can't…"

Sighing quietly, the older boy stated, "You still feel nauseous whenever you move."

"…But… 'm here…"

Seto blushed a little when the blond managed an awkward hug around his shoulders. "…I know you're here, Joey." He managed a small smile when the younger boy brushed his hair out of his eyes and murmured, "I guess it's comforting that you're here. You really _should_ try to save yourself, you know."

Joey scowled but decided not to even acknowledge his remark with a proper answer. "Mmph."

"…That was intellige—OW! You did that on purpose…!" he groaned, gritting his teeth. "I can't believe you just poked my broken leg!"

"Mmph."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as he felt something nudge his hip, wondering what it could be, then opened his eyes slowly. "…Kisara…"

The white dragon nosed his hip again and keened, then turned to lower herself down and lie beside him. _**Get on my back, Seto.**_

Seto began to sit up and grunted as something cuddled up against his other side. "Ow… Shit. Joey—" He looked over at his dragon and frowned. "Can you carry both of us?"

Her brows furrowed in frustration. _**I'm still recovering from battle, Seto. I can barely carry you.**_

"Then take Joey first," he ordered, turning to carefully pull the slumbering blond into a sitting position. "He was injured protecting me, and he's badly hurt. He needs Ishizu's magic more than I do."

_**There are still stragglers from the last battle,**_ she argued, her scaly face twisting into a scowl. _**I will not leave you here in place of Joey when **__you__** are my soul partner.**_

Seto scowled back at her. "He saved my life, Kisara. And we haven't encountered anyone yet, so what's the probability of them coming across me?"

_**It would be just your luck if they did,**_ she groused, but allowed the brunet to maneuver the other boy onto her back.

"Well, we'll just have to pray they don't." He glared at her when she failed to move and instead only blinked at him. "Well? The sooner you leave, the sooner you get back."

_**I'm waiting for you to get on, stupid. I'll hurt, but clearly not as much as you have when you carried him.**_ She snorted in annoyance. _**Besides, he'll slide right off in that position. I'm sure he doesn't need that, if he's as injured as you say he is.**_

Seto paused, then sighed. "You're sure you'll be oka—"

_**Get on my back before I hit you,**_ she hissed, glaring at him. As he struggled to drag himself onto his back, she huffed. _**Disgusting. Akai's going to think I'm beginning to like him and his soul partner. As if he wasn't already bad enough to deal with.**_

"Well, this may come as a shock to you, but I wouldn't mind Joey being my wife," he retorted, smirking at her.

Kisara stood quickly with an outraged squawk. _**I am not interested in sharing a hut with that rude dragon!**_

Seto's smirk didn't fade in the least. "You won't have to. You'll be outside because you won't be able to handle the sound and smell of sex that would hang around us." He howled in pain as her tail smacked into his broken leg. "SON OF A BITCH, KISARA! WHY!"

She glared back at him. _**You are disgusting. He is injured and you are talking about fucking him. At least wait until he's healed.**_

The brunet hummed thoughtfully even as he tried to block out the pain still tingling up and down his leg. "But after he's entirely healed, _then_ I'm allowed to talk about it?"

_**Humans are disgusting.**_ She sighed in frustration and turned her attention back to where she was going. _**Hold onto him. I'm going to go faster now.**_

Seto pulled the blond up against his chest and sighed; he knew that he was making light of the situation, but he didn't really know how else to deal with it. Besides, he'd still have to convince Joey that he was serious about a potential marriage—and apparently, convince Kisara that Akai wasn't as much of a baby as she seemed keen to believe.


	7. Horror

Horror

Seto hissed quietly and sank down in his seat. "Fuck, I don't want to go to this dinner…"

Mokuba frowned at him reproachfully. "You could have found an excuse and you know it."

"There are just some things I can't always avoid."

The limo slowed to a stop to wait for the gates to open. Both Kaibas sighed as it began to move again.

Mokuba let out a shriek as a hand suddenly slammed against his window and lunged across the car to his brother's lap. Seto turned, automatically reaching to shield his brother, and was horrified to find the hand sliding down, leaving a smear of… something on the window. Just before the hand disappeared from view, it curled into a fist, then it was gone.

Something twisted in his gut, and he suddenly felt that if he didn't see what that hand had been from, he'd regret it dearly. "Stop the car!"

As the limo jerked to another stop, Mokuba squeaked in disbelief and hugged his brother tighter as he struggled toward the opposite door. "Seto, what are you doing? You don't know what could be out there, and—"

"Stay in the car, Mokuba," the older boy ordered, prying him off, then finally caught the handle of the door and shoved it open. Ducking outside, he turned to look back. "Oh, fuck. Mokuba, call an ambulance."

"What? Why? Seto, what's going on! Who is it?" the younger boy shrieked.

"Just call an ambulance, damn it!" Seto snapped, climbing out of the car and rushing back to the familiar figure huddled against the wheel. If the car hadn't stopped when it had, he'd probably be even more hurt than he already was.

The blond peered up at him from beneath his bangs, whimpering softly, then turned his gaze away helplessly. He winced as the older boy grabbed his hand, then whimpered again as he lifted his arm. It was broken in three places; it hurt like nothing else. Why was he being made to suffer like this? Why was he making him hurt?

"Who did this to you, Wheeler?" Seto asked sharply, giving his arm a small shake.

Joey whimpered again and closed his eyes. He couldn't tell him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't tell him.

The brunet growled in frustration. No matter what, Joey had always looked him in the eye. That was one of the things he grudgingly admitted that he liked about the other boy, and having him not doing so now just really pissed him off. "Damn it, Wheeler!" Grabbing the blond's chin, he jerked his head up.

And was immediately sick to his stomach.

Someone had literally sewn the blond's lips together. It was recent, too; blood was still dripping from each stitch. On top of that was the long, thin cut starting at one cheek bone and crossing over his nose to the other, and blood was dripping from his ears—What was wrong with his ears?

Joey moaned in pain as the brunet reached out to touch his still raw ears. His body ached from the constant burning he'd been put through. Why was he being put through even more pain? He'd thought the agony he'd gone through earlier was bad, but this constant bombardment of new/old pain was enough to drive him to slit his wrists. …Not that he'd want to inflict more pain on himself or anything.

Seto pulled his fingers away from the blond's ears and stared at the blood on them in a sort of horrified awe. This blood was dry. In fact, it was so old that it had crumbled and flaked from his ears as he'd rubbed them. The new blood was from the cuts at the ends of his ears, slicing the points in half.

Because someone had cut off his human ears and had replaced them with a dog's. He could still feel the stitches where the furred appendages met human skin.

Kneeling in front of the blond slowly, Seto gently cupped his cheek and carefully looked into his eyes. When he saw the muddy brown gaze meeting his, he offered him a small, reassuring nod. "I'm going to help you. Okay?"

Joey nodded slowly, the tears in his eyes finally taking the chance to roll down his cheeks. He lifted his other hand to his arm and whimpered quietly to show him that it hurt, then reached up to try and loosen his grip on it. The brunet allowed him to direct his hands elsewhere, growing a little concerned when the younger boy began to direct his arms around his waist, but then he felt more stitches on the small of the blond's back. Grimacing at just the thought, he hesitantly followed the stitches upward to something furry—a tail.

The blond watched his face twist into a horrified expression, then took his hand and slid it up to the back of his right shoulder. When he saw his face change to confusion, he pointed to his eyes.

Seto hesitated before he stood and circled the younger boy to look at the back of his shoulder. The sick feeling in his stomach grew, because something had been tattooed crudely onto the other boy's skin.

_Property of Seto Kaiba_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto bit down on his thumbnail lightly, leaning back against the wall next to the door. How was he going to fix this? The doctors would doubtlessly ask, and he'd have no answer for them other than the blond had shown up at his house. And what was with that 'property of Seto Kaiba' thing? Who would do that to him?

"Mr. Kaiba, you can go in now," one of the nurses stated softly, opening the door to allow him to go in.

The brunet sighed and shook his head as he stepped inside. He was lucky that she hadn't asked anything. Then again, she was probably just checking vitals. She wouldn't be asking any questions.

Spying the blond sitting up on the bed, he walked over to him immediately. "How are you feeling, puppy?"

Joey turned his gaze away and frowned, tapping his fingers together anxiously. After a few moments, he turned his eyes back on him, gazing up through his bangs. "…I'm fine," he answered quietly, finally resting his hand on his cast and letting the plastered limb rest on his lap. "…I'm sorry t' trouble ya, Master."

Seto felt his stomach drop, but for what reason, he had no idea—other than the blond was acting weird. "…What was that?"

"I… I said I was sorry." The younger boy winced a little. "W-was that wrong? I'm sorry. I mean—"

"Why did you call me master?" the brunet asked quietly. He would have sounded more offended, but he didn't want to frighten him anymore.

Joey glanced up at him through his hair again. "…Isn't… isn't that what ya are? You're my master. I… I got the ears an' tail. They… they told me you were my master. Put your name on my back and everything. They wanted t' put it on my ass, but… but then they decided I was too feisty t' be a good bitch. Said I'd be your guard dog." He lifted his head a little, eyes filling with tears. "…I can be a good bitch, Master, if that's what ya want. I-I promise. Stick my ass up in the air and everything."

"No, I don't want a bitch," Seto assured quickly, lifting a hand to show he wanted him to stop. "…I don't think you'd like it very much anyway."

"…But… they prepared me for it," the blond whispered, looking down at his lap. "Put that thing inside me and turned it on. It didn't feel so bad." He winced as the older boy's face twisted in disgust. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I'm sorry. Sorry."

"…Just…" The brunet sighed quietly. "…Let me talk to the doctors before we start planning anything like that."

Joey winced again, then nodded, not taking his eyes off his lap. "Yes, Master."

Seto felt himself growing sick to his stomach. Not only did the blond still have the canine tail and ears, but he'd had no reconstructive surgery done on his face, so there were still holes from where the thread keeping his lips sealed together. Why? Shouldn't the doctors have done something about that? Well, at least they'd put his broken arm in a cast.

He turned sharply as the door opened, then sighed in relief as he found it was a doctor. "Finally."

The doctor blinked at him for a moment, then walked toward the blond as if he wasn't even there. "How are you feeling, Joseph?"

"…" Joey peered up at him from behind his bangs, frowning, and stayed silent.

"Not talking yet? That's fine. We'll just take you in for a few more x-rays then—" he stated, looking at his clipboard.

Seto frowned as the blond acquired a terrified expression, then reached out to gently brush his hair out of his eyes. "Hey, it's okay, puppy. They just want to help."

The younger boy gazed up at him desperately, wanting him to save him, to keep this bad man away from him. "…Master…"

The brunet flinched a little as the doctor immediately looked toward him. "…I'm… not really his master. He just started calling me that."

"I… see." The doctor pursed his lips. "…I need to go talk to my superior…"

'_You're going to talk to the police because you think __**I**__ did it,'_ Seto thought bitterly, glaring as he left the room. He turned back to the blond and frowned as he found he'd hidden his eyes beneath his bangs again. After a few seconds of thought, he grabbed a rubber band off of the table beside the bed and reached up to gather his hair. "Let's get that out of your eyes."

"But—" Joey began quickly, reaching up to try and stop him, but the brunet had his hair snapped back in a firm but not uncomfortable ponytail. "…But it's…"

"Did they not offer reconstructive surgery? It could help with the—"

"They said I was s'posed t' look like this so no one else would want me," the blond whispered, looking away from him. "But you'd hafta want me, because you're my master. You can do anything with me."

Seto squatted next to the bed and sighed, brows furrowing together. "Joey, please let them do reconstructive surgery. I'll pay for all of it."

The younger boy flinched. "But… I don't… wanna…"

"These are real doctors. I don't know what whack job did this to you, but they'll take care of you." He reached out to touch the blond's cheek and expected him to flinch away, but instead he leaned his cheek into his hand. He frowned. "Joey…"

Joey let his eyes flutter shut as he pressed closer to the brunet's palm. "Whatever ya want. I'll do whatever ya want, Master."

"…Okay," Seto whispered. "I want you to have reconstructive surgery so we can fix what they've done to you. Then I want you to come stay with my so I can try and find out who did this to you—"

The blond reached out to grab his hand quickly, eyes wide. "They can't take my ears and tail. They did somethin' with my tail-!" He whimpered. "If they take it they're gonna take part of my spine and my ears are already healed up they did somethin' t' me and it's gonna hurt t' fix 'em they told me so-!"

"Let's just work on your face then," the older boy cut in smoothly. "We'll have them fix your lips. When you're healed from that, we'll have a specialist come look at your… ears." Seto wondered where he'd find a specialist on chopping off dog ears and reattaching human ones as well as the whack job that had done this to him. "And we'll look into having the tail removed last."

Joey took a few deep breaths but still appeared distressed even as he whimpered and nodded his head. "'kay."

A doctor stepped into the room and sneered at the brunet. "Sir, if you'll please wait outside while I check his vitals again?"

Seto rolled his eyes, assuming a security guard would be outside to escort him out of the building to speak with police. When the blond whimpered and looked up at him in complete terror, he placed his hand on his head and sighed. "They won't hurt you, puppy. They're just going to help you. I'll be back." He wasn't sure he'd actually be back, but when the younger boy relaxed, he decided his fib hadn't been a bad one.

As he stepped out of the room and was greeted by a guard, his cell phone began to ring. He answered it as he began toward the front of the building. "Kaiba."

_**How did you like your gift?**_

Seto couldn't help but cringe. The voice made him feel filthy and disgusting. It oozed depravity and made him want to shower because despite all of the craziness in the person's voice it was husky and dark and he knew what it sounded like when someone was satisfied in a more carnal manner.

This person—he couldn't tell whether it was male or female—had wrecked Joey in a most likely irreparable way, and had _enjoyed it._

Seto wasn't aware he'd frozen and was listening to a dial tone until the security guard grabbed his shoulder to get him moving again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"This is your room. You'll stay here. Mine is right next door, and Mokuba's is across the hall." Seto walked over to the door on the left side of the room. "This door leads directly to my room. I'll leave it unlocked. If you ever get scared or nervous, just go ahead and come in, and I'll make time for you."

Joey walked over to stand beside him nervously and peered through the door the brunet had opened. "…Ya sure ya don't mind?" He shrank back as the brunet reached out to touch his shoulder and looked away.

Seto let his hand fall to his side, frowning. "Joey, after all I've done to help you, I'm not going to hurt you." He glanced at the blond's lips, fighting the urge to cringe when he remembered the punctures crusted with dried blood, the red-stained floss stitching his lips closed.

The floppy ears had been removed and he'd paid for the best plastic surgeons in the world to come and perform an otoplasty. Joey's ears weren't the same as they had been before his… incident, but they at least looked normal. He'd also gotten the tattoo removed as best the doctors could; it was a shoddy tattoo job, so the ink would never completely fade.

Nothing could be done about the tail. Joey's attacker had been truthful about that. They'd somehow attached the tail through the spine (he'd stopped listening when he'd heard that it couldn't be fixed, already trying to think of other ways to conceal his tail), and removing it would have caused a lot of pain that no amount of physical therapy or time would heal.

"I don't mind at all." He forced himself not to reach out to the blond again, even though all he really wanted was to try and establish normality again. But Joey would never strike his hand away, never snarl at him to keep his stupid rich-boy hands to himself. He'd only duck or, if Seto continued to reach toward him, hesitantly allow him to touch him.

Joey nodded slightly. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he also wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth while he had it, either. "'kay."

"If you need to call anyone, you can come into my room or office." He'd wanted to provide the blond with his own phone, but he'd gotten a few more calls since the first one in the hospital, and he was certain it would cause the younger boy even more mental harm. "If you're hungry, you can raid the kitchen, and if you're bored, we have a library—"

The withering look he received from the blond at the suggestion that he _read for fun_ was almost refreshing.

"…We also have a game room and a theater."

"…Right." Joey gave him a look clearly stating he was still disgusted at the suggestion of going into the library.

And Seto didn't even mind, because he saw a spark of the feistiness he'd been longing to see ever since Joey had slapped his bloody hand against the window of the limousine. Wherever he'd been—whoever had done this to him—hadn't broken him completely.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto frowned as he saw the blond curled up on his bed, then sighed and began undoing his tie. Even after years of keeping the younger man safe, he still came back to the blond lying on his bed, staring at nothing with glassy eyes. He'd answered a call once, one that had been meant for Seto that had sent him into an almost catatonic state. It had taken several weeks to get him back into some semblance of being 'okay' enough to function.

Sitting on the bed beside him, he reached out to touch him, fingers hesitating just over his shoulder. "…We're still looking for the person that did this to you, Joey. We'll find this person and we'll—"

"They're gone, Kaiba," Joey whispered. "And there's nothing you can do about it. They're gonna go do terrible things to other people—maybe get their hands on me again—and they're just gonna continue bein' monsters that hurt other people. You can keep tryin', but… I know you're never gonna find 'em."

Seto felt anger welling up inside of him. Anger and hate. Standing up, he snarled, "If that's how you feel about it, why even bother? Why not just _let_ them get away with it without even _trying_ to get justice for yourself, and—"

Joey rolled onto his back and looked up at him. "Kaiba."

Seto took a breath to continue yelling, but all that came out was an exhausted sob. "Joey, I've worked so hard… I don't know why I can't find them." He slumped onto the bed again and pressed his palms against his eyes, feeling a sort of relief from the ache of the pressure. "I've exhausted every resource I've had, talked to people I haven't seen since _Gozaburo died,_ so why can't I find who did this to you?"

"Because everything they did t' me wasn't the worst they could do, Kaiba," the blond explained slowly. "The worst thing they're doin'… is not bein' caught."

Seto turned to look at him and bit bottom lip, feeling frustrated and angry and defeated. "…I'm sorry."

Joey smiled sadly. "Kaiba, ya can't beat 'em all."

"Just because I can't doesn't mean I don't want to," the brunet huffed, then turned to look at the phone as it began to ring. Grumbling, he stood and walked over to answer it. "Kaiba!"

_**How are you and your gift doing?**_

Seto was immediately overcome with rage. Letting out a furious roar, he ripped the phone from the wall and threw it across the room, where it clattered across the floor and smashed into the opposite wall. He shook with anger even as he turned and swept the desk clean, papers scattering around his feet as his computer fell to the floor and cracked, making a dent in the hard wood.

And he was angrier still because he knew that he could only be feeling a fraction of the helplessness that Joey did.


	8. Parody

Author's Note: I'm parodying the puppyshipping fandom. And also Twilight. Because… why not.

Let me say, though, that my reasons for disliking Twilight are not superficial. There are parts of it that make me uncomfortable (like Bella being suicidal because she can't see Edward, the sex scene, Jacob imprinting _on a baby)_. The writing is not up to the standard I like to read. And I don't like this particular interpretation of vampires.

On another note, OH MY GOSH. THIS THEME IS _SO. BAD._ I'm so sorry. -_-

* * *

><p><span>Parody<span>

Joey stared down at his father, face bloodied and bruise and nose obviously broken. He blinked slowly, then turned to look up at the brunet standing next to him. "What the hell?"

"…I saw him hurting you and I just wanted to protect you," Seto answered after a moment.

The younger boy raised an eyebrow. "And how did you see him hurtin' me?"

"…Sometimes I sit outside your window and watch you sleep."

Joey stared at him for a moment before stating, "That is so sexy and not at all creepy."

Seto shrugged. "I like to think so." He paused for a moment before looking down at the blond and stating, "I'd like you to come move in with me now. It's not safe here for you."

The blond blinked. "…What."

"I mean, I would like to continue protecting you and watching you sleep. At my mansion."

Joey stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Seems legit. Lemme get my things together."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"You're a vampire, right?"

Seto blinked in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"'cause your eyes are glowin' and ya shine in the light," Joey replied, shrugging.

Seto stared, mouth falling open a little. "…Well, since you've found me out, yes, I suppose I can tell you. I'm a vampire." He paused, then scowled. "I only shine in the light because I have such white skin. It's not something I enjoy."

"Why not tan?" Joey asked innocently.

The brunet rolled his eyes in frustration. "Yeah. Because that would work so well with the sun reflecting off of my dead skin."

The blond sat up. "You could use those tanning creams. That might help."

"I've tried that. They turn me orange," the vampire deadpanned.

Joey blinked. "…Oh." He tilted his head a little, then began to laugh. "And ya had that green hair phase, too-! Ya must've looked like an Oompa Loompa!"

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes again, looking quite put out. "Okay, I'm leaving."

"Aw, but I thought ya liked watchin' me sleep!" Joey cooed, smug grin still in place even as the vampire began stalking out.

"Not when you're asking stupid questions and laughing like an idiot."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sat up and frowned a little. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I think so." Joey stared up at him for a few moments, then tilted his head, frowning. "And you said you were how old?"

"…Five thousand, three hundred, and sixty-four. Why? Is that weird?" The vampire paused. "…Do you think I'm too old for you?"

The blond huffed. "No, that's not it. You said you were a virgin that entire time?" He looked up at the brunet and scowled. "I don't believe it!"

Seto stared. "…I beg your pardon?"

"That was _awesome._ Well, what I remember of it. I think I passed out for a bit of it. But you know, what I do remember, that was great." Joey blinked. "I don't think I can walk. But that's okay. Still! Ya can't possibly be virgin and be that good!"

The brunet opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to respond. He'd been both insulted and complimented and he didn't know which one to tackle first. On one hand, he'd been called a liar, and he hated being called a liar because he wasn't one.

On the other hand, Joey was stroking his ego. He liked having his ego stroked. Especially when Joey was doing it.

"Well, ya probably had the chance to watch a lot o' porn in five thousand years, huh." Joey scratched his head and sighed. "Whatever. I guess I don't really care that much. Hey!" He smiled. "Let's have one more round! I'll try not t' pass out this time!"

Seto blinked, still trying to figure out how to respond. "…Uh. Okay."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"We should get married."

Joey looked up from his sandwich, blinking up at the brunet slowly. "…Um?"

"We've known each other a few weeks. That's long enough before we get married, right?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow.

The blond stared at him for a moment before smiling awkwardly. "Can we get married? I mean, we're both guys, and—"

Shrugging, the brunet replied, "Vampire married. Om nom nom, sex, more nomming, more sex. Vampire married."

"…Seems legit," Joey replied, then turned to finish his sandwich. "When?"

"I thought tonight."

Joey stared down at his sandwich for another moment before deciding that Vegas weddings were much quicker and less planned out, so getting 'vampire married' under more notice should be at least a little more dignified.

"…This is crazy," he muttered, frowning, then sighed and shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth before the vampire could question him. Seto hated when he talked with his mouthful.


	9. General

Author's Note: To make up for the terrible parody I wrote last week. **:**C I'm so sorry.

* * *

><p><span>General<span>

Joey heaved a sigh and smiled up at the sky. Finding shapes in the clouds was one of his favorite things to do. It was usually more fun when people were with him, but he found it just as enjoyable by himself—especially if the alternative was having Seto there, grumbling about how stupid it was, because they were clearly clouds and not bunnies or donuts or rocks.

Joey wrinkled his nose as the sky disappeared, hidden by a large, white scaly head and neck. "You're blockin' my view, ya prick."

The dragon huffed and looked down at him, blue eyes shining. "I'm much more attractive than clouds."

"Maybe to a dragon," the blond huffed, sitting up. He stood and brushed off his pants. "As a human, you're not that pretty."

Seto snorted, appalled. "You think any of those big-boobed trollops are more attractive than I am?"

"Maybe if ya put on some lipstick," Joey teased, only to yelp as the dragon whipped the end of his tail to smack his ass. "Ow!"

"How dare you say I am anything but gorgeous!" the dragon bellowed.

The blond grumbled and turned to glare up at him. "If you're gonna be like this, I'm gonna go home instead of scrub your back."

The dragon drew himself up angrily, taking a deep breath, then sighed, wings wilting when he realized he really did need the blond to scrub parts of his back for him. "…I'm sorry," he muttered petulantly.

Joey grumbled and stomped over to the bucket and scrub-brush he'd quite happily forgotten about while cloud-gazing. "Asshole, always talkin' like you're better than me. What a prick. I don't know why I put up with ya."

"…Because, gold," Seto stated. "How much do I owe you for this week?"

"Hey, ya didn't pay me last week either," the blond hissed. "Ya owe me almost fifty pieces!"

The dragon hissed. "It's almost skyway robbery."

"Hey, you agreed t' ten pieces of gold every time I helped scrub ya! You're the one that needs t' be scrubbed so often, asshole!"

"How do you expect me to entice a mate if I don't gleam?"

"…You're disgustin'," Joey muttered, then kicked his tail. "Get in the lake and roll then so I can soap ya up."

Seto grumbled but walked over to the lake and rolled in it until he was wet to Joey's satisfaction, spreading his wings so he could better scrub.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto landed at the edge of his den and sighed, then trudged in tiredly. "No matter how hard I try, I cannot understand humans."

Mokuba looked up at him and frowned. "What's happened this time?"

"Joey doesn't think I'm attractive. And when I try to talk to him, it just comes out as… insults." The white dragon flopped onto the floor and sighed. "And I forgot to pay him last week. I owe him fifty pieces."

"You know what you _could_ do," the younger dragon began.

Seto groaned loudly to drown him out and rolled over so his back was facing him.

Mokuba sighed. "Oooor not."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked down at the budget sheet on his desk, frowning. He'd need those gold pieces from Seto soon, or else he'd be behind on his rent, and then he'd need to pay an extra fee. He glanced over at the set of clothes in the closet and bit his bottom lip. It had been years since he'd walked the streets at night, but if Seto didn't pay him soon, he might have to…

No. No, he refused to do that again. Never again. Hell, those clothes probably didn't even fit.

Pulling out the leather pants and sheer shirt, he frowned. "…Well, these _were_ expensive," he whispered, sliding his hand over the smooth, dark leather. "I could always get rid of the shirt, but…" He bit his bottom lip, then huffed and slid his jeans off, stepping into the leather pants. "—Shit! These are tight!"

It took some shimmying, shaking, grunting, growling, rolling, and a few curses, but he eventually got the pants on. Once they were buttoned and zipped, he sighed in relief and leaned against the wall. "Eesh. If it takes this long to put 'em on, I might as well toss 'em." He squeaked as he heard a knock on the door and looked at his jeans, then at the leather pants that looked painted on.

The knock came again, louder. So loud, in fact, that he worried about his door.

"I'm comin'!" he exclaimed, rushing out of his room and into the hallway. "I'm comin'!"

He opened the door quickly and took a deep breath. "Hello!"

The brunet smiled a crooked sort of smile, as if he was unused to doing it. "Hello."

Joey blinked and couldn't help but look him up and down. He was wearing tight black pants and a black turtleneck, over which he had a billowing, sleeveless white trench coat. If it had been anyone else wearing it, he would have laughed, but the brunet appeared such an opposing figure that it just made him look more dangerous.

The brunet cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um…"

Joey jerked his gaze back up to the taller man's face and blushed a little. "Can I help ya with somethin'?"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Well, I've heard that humans usually invite a guest inside…"

"…But I don't know you," Joey stated, probably a little more forcefully than he normally would have. He was terribly uncomfortable in these pants, and seeing this attractive man wasn't exactly helping.

The taller man stared. "Um. Yes, you do."

Joey stared back. "I think I'd remember you."

"You should. You scrub my back every other day."

"…"

The two stared at each other for several minutes before the blond let out a yelp and slammed the door in his face. "GAH!" He turned to lean his back against the door, eyes wide. "…Ohmygaaah. Seto?"

"…You hurt my nose…"

Joey turned to open the door a crack and peered up at him. He flinched as he saw the brunet staring at his hand, which was covered in blood—probably from the bloody nose he'd gotten when he'd slammed the door. "…Seto, you're bleedin'."

"Is that what this is?" the brunet asked in surprise.

The younger boy sighed and pulled the door open. "Never thought I'd see the day I'd let a dragon into my house. How are ya doin' this, anyway?"

"Doing what? …I've always been able to transform into a human," Seto replied, stepping inside.

"Cover your nose ya idiot I don't want all your blood on my floor!" the blond snapped, rushing over to grab some tissues for him. "Here. Jeez. Hold these to your nose until ya stop bleedin'." He huffed, then crossed his arms and glared up at him. "If ya could turn into a human before, why didn't ya?"

The brunet sniffed in affront. "I am not nearly as magnificent in this form as I am as a dragon."

Joey snorted. "Yeah, right. You're sexy as fuck as a human!"

Seto frowned. "…Erm?"

"…You're more attractive as a human than as a dragon," the blond reiterated.

The dragon-turned-human whined. "But I am not nearly as good-looking!"

Joey sighed and glared at him for a moment before pointing at his legs. "You've got long legs." He pointed at his crotch, which the brunet's pants just seemed to accentuate. "Ya got a nice package." He pointed at the brunet's chest. "Ya have broad shoulders. Good for clingin' to." He pointed directly in his face. "And despite your fuckin' bloody and maybe bruised nose, you're fuckin' _gorgeous._ It's just not fair!"

Seto stared at him for a few moments, appearing to take his words into consideration, before asking, "I have a nice package of what?"

Joey opened his mouth, then sighed, mouth forming a thin line. "Yeah, you were much easier t' deal with as a dragon… Why the fuck are ya here, anyway?"

The brunet blinked in surprise before pulling a jingling sack from some unseen pocket, tossing it at him carelessly. "Gold. You may thank me."

"…Thanks," the human muttered, huffing, then stomped over to the couch. He emptied the coins onto the banged up coffee table and sighed, then patted the seat next to him. "Come sit, asshole."

"I don't see how I'm an asshole. I just paid you," Seto muttered, but eased himself into a sitting position next to him.

Joey counted out thirty gold coins before taking notice of the brunet's perfect posture. Turning to look at him, he scowled. "Do ya always sit up straight like that? You're makin' me look bad."

The brunet turned to look at him incredulously. "We're the _only ones here._"

"I don't care! Slouch or somethin'!" the younger boy snapped, glaring at him.

Seto opened his mouth in outrage, but nothing came out because he was too shocked and appalled.

"Jeez, makin' me look bad in my own house. Learn some manners," the blond muttered to himself, turning to continue counting his coins.

"_I_ am making _you_ look bad?" Seto finally roared, standing up and glaring down at him. "Why don't _you_ put some effort into being respectable instead of tearing _me_ down? There are other humans with good posture, other humans built like me—other humans that probably pack as nicely as I do, whatever that means!" He threw the tissues down and snarled. "It's no wonder scrubbing my back is the only job you can get with a personality as abrasive as yours! I don't know why I want you so much—if you were any less of a plebian, you'd be a bum!"

"If I'm such a pain in the ass why doncha just leave? I didn't invite ya here! Get out!" Joey snarled, getting to his feet. "Don't make me hit ya, asshole. It'll actually hurt while you're in this form."

"Fine! You're too trashy to deal with anyway!"

Joey watched him storm out, then sagged back onto his ragged sofa that had probably seen better _years._ "…'f 'm so trashy, why do ya put up with my shit?" he asked softly, frowning.

He knew he could be pissy. He knew he was argumentative and unfriendly. It was something he'd learned living on the streets and hadn't been able to break those terrible habits. It was why he did work like scrub dragons' backs or paint houses or clean roofs. It was just easier to be trash when you were doing dirty jobs.

Joey stared at the coins for a while before continuing to count them, then went to go record the amount in his budget sheet.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"WHY DO ALL THE WRONG THINGS KEEP COMING OUT OF MY STUPID FACE!" Seto roared as soon as he touched down on the entrance to his den. He took a few deep breaths, then sighed. "You may kill me whenever you are ready, Mokuba," he added, slumping down in defeat.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Seto, we've been over this before. I'm not going to kill you because you've embarrassed yourself."

"I told him he was trashy, plebian, and abrasive."

The younger dragon paused before trotting over him. "Would you like it quick and painless or long and drawn out?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto was surprised to find the blond waiting for him when he arrived at the lake. After a long, uncomfortable weekend of making himself guilty over and over again and Mokuba staring at him in disbelief and disgust, he'd doubted Joey would even come back for him to clean him.

Seto opened his mouth to apologize, but was cut off when the blond quietly stated, "You're late. Will you go roll in the water, please?"

The dragon loosed an almost silent whine but trudged over to wet himself. Once wet enough, he extended his wings and dipped his head so the blond could climb up onto his neck and walk up to his back. He still wanted to apologize, but he somehow felt that now wasn't the right time.

He felt the blond scrubbing his scales and couldn't help but relax a bit. He hadn't made him so angry that he didn't come back. He was… glad for that. He didn't want Joey to hate him. He wanted to lick and nuzzle and love him, even if he wasn't a dragon. He just wanted Joey to like him…

"GAH!"

Seto felt something scrape against his side and fall into the water with a splash and turned his head to look down, wondering if it was the human's bucket. He'd dropped it once or twice before, so it was really no big deal to—

Seto stared at the sopping wet blond for a moment, blinking slowly, before his scaly lips twisted into a smile. He made an honest effort to keep from laughing, but when the human pushed his hair out of his face, looking so confused and miserable, he just couldn't help it.

Joey watched half in amazement as the dragon began to laugh. He'd heard that dragons weren't capable of laughing, so it was quite a sight to see, wings shaking and long neck arched up to throw his head back over his shoulders with mirth.

…There was something quite demeaning about a dragon laughing at your misfortune after he called you trashy and plebian. Joey wasn't even sure what plebian meant, but he could only assume that Seto had meant it to shame him.

Sighing quietly, he stood, dropping the scrub brush and trudging out of the water slowly. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

The dragon seemed to laugh even harder at that, falling onto his side and sending a wave of water to crash into him just as he made it onto the dry soil.

Joey scrambled out of the water again and turned to look at the dragon in surprise, lying on his side and still laughing his scales off. He bit his bottom lip and looked down at his feet, shivering a little as he turned to walk away.

His walk home was peppered with giggles, muffled snorts, and outright laughter from everyone that saw him. His mood sank lower and lower until he reached his tiny house and pulled his key out of his sopping wet pocket. He unlocked the door and stepped into the house, not even bothering to lock the door again as he shut it and trudged to his room. There, he stripped off all of his wet clothes, hung them on the clothesline he'd strung up, and crawled into bed.

He pulled the covers up over his head, then shoved his head under his pillow. He stayed there for three days, until his rent was due. Then he went out and paid it, grabbed something to eat, and returned to his bed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey heard someone knock on his door but was too tired and hungry to reply. He simply buried his head further under his pillow.

He heard the door open and close and huffed. People could come in and rob him, for all he cared. It wouldn't matter. All of his things were old and used—some of them broken. If someone wanted to take them and try to get money off of it, then more power to them.

He stiffened a little as he heard the door to his room open but made sure not to move, the childish instinct that his covers would protect him from monsters coming to the fore.

"How am I supposed to pay you if you don't even finish your job?"

Joey flinched.

Seto stared at the bundle of blankets shivering on the bed, then sat down on the edge and frowned. "Joey, I didn't mean what I said. We just seem to bring out the worst in each other. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"Go 'way."

The brunet scowled a little, but when the bundle of blankets just tried to bury itself deeper under the pillow, he frowned. He remembered when Mokuba would sulk and brood in his bed, and it took some doing to get him out of his bad mood.

Seto sighed, hoping that he wouldn't be punched in the face for what he was going to do, then grabbed the bundle of blankets that was Joey and pulled him onto his lap. "Come here."

Joey struggled, startled, but settled when the brunet's strong hand guided him to lay his head on his chest. There was something undeniably comforting about listening to someone else's heartbeat. He closed his eyes and sighed, telling himself that he'd get mad and yell at the dragon later. For now, he liked being settled against the brunet's broad chest with his long fingers carding through his hair.

Seto dipped his head to kiss the blond's brow, then turned to sit further on the bed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sighed and nuzzled into the warm chest in front of him, then frowned, brows furrowing together. "Ngh." He nuzzled it again in confusion, taking in the scent of a thunderstorm, then gasped and jerked backward, looking up in the surprise.

Seto rumbled quietly. "So sleeping beauty awakens."

"Huh?"

"You were quite tired," the brunet replied, yawning so widely that his jaw cracked. He sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, then smiled a crooked smile that the blond grudgingly admitted looked quite handsome. "How did you sleep? Was I too hard?"

The blond blushed. "What?"

"I know I can't be any good to sleep on. Too much muscle from flying around all of the time."

"Oh. Yes. That kind of hard." The younger boy glanced away, blush darkening a little. "No. I slept… fine."

"Good." Seto rubbed the back of his head and stood, brushing his clothes off. "Well. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Joey looked up at him in surprise. "Huh?"

"You haven't decided to stop scrubbing my back, have you?" the brunet asked, looking back at him. "I'll pay you extra."

"Oh. Uh, okay." The human smiled shyly. "Same time as usual?"

Seto turned to look back at him and tilted his head. "Perhaps earlier. I still have your bucket and brush."

"Oh. I guess ya do."

"Just… try not to fall off this time," the brunet teased, before he finally left.

Joey blushed and bit his bottom lip. "Oh. Yeah. Okay."

He lifted his hand to gently rub his forehead, remembering vaguely that the brunet had kissed him there. He also recalled Seto saying he wanted him just before he'd walked out of his house the last time. He stared at the wall for a few minutes, trying to figure out what he should do.

Then, he smiled, fell backward onto his bed, and touched his forehead again. "Maybe I can get him t' kiss me on the lips…"


	10. Supernatural

Author's Note: I don't even know. OTL Forgive me.

* * *

><p><span>Supernatural<span>

Joey didn't really like to think. He was more of a creature to act upon feelings and didn't care if they had explanations or not; he liked to just be.

So he surprised himself when he walked into his apartment, sat down on his couch, and didn't tend to the chest wound he'd received. Instead, he stared at the black screen of his TV and thought. And as the thoughts tumbled about in his mind, he realized he probably should sit down and think more often, because this was incredibly difficult despite being his own thoughts in his own head.

After a few moments of mental chaos, he decided to start at the beginning. That seemed like the right place to start, since so many things start at a beginning rather than a middle or end.

He'd been a very powerful and well-respected demon. He was quick to lash out, but he was mostly a fair creature, which was why most demons or souls went to him if they wanted fair justice. He'd even been accredited with a special power from Heaven, because he could sense which souls were genuinely remorseful and wanted to change.

His job for several centuries had been to mete out justice and escort worthy souls to purgatory to prove they wanted to change. Unfortunately, that had gotten lonely. He'd sought out a demon who could possibly be his companion, but that hadn't worked out; most demons were needlessly cruel and he wanted someone he didn't always need to have his guard up around.

The higher demons had been no help in trying to find a special someone for him, since today's demons were not monogamous creatures like they had once been. So, tail between his legs, he'd asked a Heavenly acolyte if she could help him. When she'd informed him that the Heavenly beings could only be emotional support and would not engage in physical support (very important to demons, who were firm believers that carnal pleasures were, in fact, quite necessary for a relationship of any kind), he'd nearly broken.

He'd been ready to accept a lonely life of sex with people that didn't care about him and would probably have sex with someone else within the next few hours after they'd left his bed when the acolyte had returned, smiling a bit nervously.

When Joey had heard that a human might be his best chance, he'd had to seriously consider it. Humans were fickle and prone to run at the first sign of trouble. He didn't want to waste several years of his existence to _possibly_ have a human fall in love with him.

The acolyte had quickly explained that they could find a human that would be well-suited to him for all of his help if he'd only wait a while longer. Joey had already waited several centuries. He was tired enough of disappointment that he was willing to wait longer.

It took a few years, but eventually, the acolyte had returned, this time a full-fledged angel. She'd beamed at him and informed him of a certain human that would have the upbringing and attitude that would make him compatible and strong enough to deal with him, as long as he didn't mind reincarnating himself as a human while the human was living.

Joey decided a vacation was much needed anyway and had jumped at the chance. He'd reincarnated as a poor drunkard's child, so he'd be able to get away with being a little violent and mean. He'd had no plans to grow attached to his human family, but when his human father had begun to beat his human mother, he'd wanted nothing more but to protect his sister and mother.

He'd arranged with the angel for money to be delivered to his mother anonymously—just enough for her and his darling sister, not enough for him. His mother had wept bitterly as she tried to figure out whether she could starve a little to feed both of her children when they escaped. Joey had to put an end to that and promptly joined a gang so she'd see him as a danger to his sister. Brokenhearted but ready to rebuild a new and happy life with her daughter, his human mother and sister fled.

Joey floated for a few years through being in a gang and working and school, wondering when he'd meet the human he'd reincarnated himself for when he'd met Yugi.

Yugi had seemed like any other human until he'd accidentally mentioned Joey's tattoos. Joey had promptly informed him of his mistake: Humans could not see his tattoos proving him a demon unless they, too, had been reincarnated from angels or demons.

Yugi had looked contrite and explained that he was an angel that had been reincarnated both as a guardian angel for a girl who was destined to be a great dancer and to guide him to find the human the acolyte had said would be in this lifetime for him. Joey immediately accepted his friendship despite the gossip he knew he'd return to when his human life ended. He worked closely with angels anyway, so he'd be able to brush the rumors of courting an angel off quite easily.

Then he'd met him. He'd been surprised that Heaven would allow him a male partner, but when he'd confided to Yugi about it, the smaller boy had merely smiled and said that angels didn't judge as much as humans liked to think they did and Seto Kaiba had been the only human that seemed to be a perfect match to him without having to wait another few centuries, and they'd decided that Joey had waited long enough.

So Joey had set out to prove to the human that he could be an ideal mate.

And he'd failed.

Seto Kaiba was wealthy, intelligent, and attractive. He'd already had several people, male and female, try to catch his attention. While Joey could argue and even physically fight with him to get his attention, it seemed like Seto was just content to go through life alone—without anyone's help and especially not from a punk like Joey whose reputation from his gang years still preceded him in some circles.

Yugi had asked other angels if they were _sure_ that Seto Kaiba was the right human and had been informed that yes, he was, and if Joey was having difficulties courting him, that was all on the demon and not on them. Yugi had tried to befriend Kaiba, to put in a good word for Joey, but had had to admit that a lost battle and even began avoiding him when the human became more interested in playing games with him than paying attention to Joey.

—Joey flinched at the reminder. It was difficult not to love Yugi. Jeez, even _he_ loved Yugi. It just hurt that the human he'd been told was perfect for him was more interested in his best friend.

He'd tried harder. He'd become the friends with the younger Kaiba, had protected them both on multiple occasions (though he was sure the eldest Kaiba only knew of two, and only of protecting Mokuba), had even tried to show he'd let the brunet dominate him if that's what he wanted.

He reached up to finally press his hand over his chest wound, shirt stained and saturated with his human blood. "Tch. Humans and their silly misconceptions of demons and angels," he muttered, then stood and walked into the small bathroom.

He started a bath of hot water and stripped his shirt off, hissing as the semi-formed scab was ripped open with the pull of the fabric. He dropped it on the floor and stepped out of his pants, then stepped into the bath and sat down, sliding back into a lying position. He used his foot to turn off the water, trusting it would stay hot as long as he needed it to, then let his eyes drift closed and submerged himself.

_Joey yelped as he was slammed into the wall, something piercing his chest and burning the wound painfully. "Ouch-!"_

_Seto slammed his hand next to the blond's head and hissed. "I __**know**__ what you are. Stay away from my brother and stay away from me. Stay away from Yugi and Téa. If I see you __**anywhere**__ near them, I'll __**destroy**__ you."_

_The blond whimpered as the human pulled away and turned his back on him. He didn't even glance back to make sure he left._

_Joey grit his teeth and pulled the weapon out of his chest, hissing when he saw it was a silver crucifix with a dagger at the bottom. It was a good thing he'd been bequeathed with a special power from Heaven, otherwise he'd surely be ended._

_And Seto had clearly aimed the way he had stabbed him, because he could tell this was just a flesh wound. With his human body, if it had been aimed anywhere else in his chest, he might have died._

Joey sat up from the water and gasped, running his hands through his hair, then leaned his head back against the edge of the tub. Well, this was what he got for being old-fashioned, he supposed. Perhaps he could learn to be as casual with relationships as the newer generation of demons was. Maybe when Yugi returned to his Heavenly position, he could have an emotional relationship with him.

Even though he knew deep down that this wouldn't be okay. Yugi was in love with Téa, and when Téa died, she'd probably be reincarnated as an angel. While he was certain that Téa and Yugi would give him any emotional support and love that he needed, he was certain that they'd grow to resent him for it as much as angels could.

"…Maybe I was just meant to be alone," he murmured, frowning. "What a depressin' thought." He stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the paint, then nodded to himself. "Probably time t' go back home."

The human world had been fun while it lasted. Humans were incredibly clever little creatures when it suited them. Maybe he'd come back someday and enjoy the arcades or go to a movie or something. Maybe when Téa had reached her prime in dancing, he'd go and see one of her ballets, even if he was just a demon hiding in the shadows. Maybe there would be a time when he wasn't so lonely and sad that he could actually enjoy the human world around him.

He wondered what an acceptable way to kill himself would be. He didn't want to cause a mess in his landlady's nice apartment, since she was struggling to make ends meet herself. He didn't want to make her pay to clean anything up. So guns and slitting his wrists were out. He could probably overdose, but he was still part demon, so he'd have to take an excessive amount. The coroners would have a field day.

Perhaps hanging himself was the way to go. It wasn't messy. He could do it a few days after rent was due so that the landlady would find him relatively soon after he killed himself, so there wouldn't be a bad smell. He'd just leave a little note saying he couldn't handle the shame of having been a cruel thug anymore and no one would think twice about it. Remorse was a powerful thing in humans.

Joey frowned. He'd need to write a few heartfelt letters before he did it, especially to his mother and Serenity. He'd apologize for being such a poor excuse for a brother and son and take any guilt off of them that he could. Hopefully they wouldn't be too hard on themselves. He knew humans could blame themselves for what others did despite being told it wasn't their faults.

Stepping out of the tub, he wrapped himself in a towel and drained the water. He'd write the letters and send them, go tell Yugi what was happening and get everything put in order, then go buy a rope and bide his time until he could safely kill himself.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey walked into the game shop, opened his mouth, saw that Seto Kaiba was speaking to Yugi, and promptly turned to walk back out. He flinched as a familiar voice stopped him.

"Hey, Joey! I haven't seen you in a while!"

Mokuba.

Joey had a split second to decide what to do and made what was easily the hardest decision of his centuries-long life. He opened the door, walked back out, and looked up the street as if to check for traffic. As he heard the door open again, he walked purposefully onto the road.

The car that had been speeding slammed into his side. He felt bones break and splinter, felt flesh bruise and begin to spurt blood, and flipped over the roof of the car to land on the ground with a dull thud.

The driver of the car would be extra careful and would never speed again. Joey decided that the end justified the means quite well in this case. He'd been planning on killing himself anyway. He hadn't even needed to be in his apartment to do it.

He was rolled onto his back just in time to see tear-filled purple eyes. He smiled. "I'll be okay now."

Yugi sobbed. "But it wasn't supposed to be like this, Joey! You were supposed to find someone and be happy!"

Joey lifted a broken arm to cup the younger boy's cheek with a broken hand. "The thing is, Yugi… I don't think I was." His hand fell to the ground beside him as the angel began to cry harder, a bloody handprint standing out brightly on his pale cheek as the blond's eyes closed and didn't open again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey became aware of the fact that he was being held to someone's chest and was quite annoyed by it. Clearly his attempt at killing himself hadn't worked. He worried about how long he'd been unconscious and whether his mother and sister had received the letters he'd written. He hoped that if they had, they wouldn't come to get him—and especially that they wouldn't put him on suicide watch. If he needed to continue living to keep his sister and mother happy now, he would do that.

He felt someone brushing his hair out of his eyes as he was set on something soft and grimaced, jerking his head away. "Go 'way."

"So you're awake then."

Joey growled loudly. "Oh, fuck you, ya just wanna be the one t' finish me off, doncha?" he hissed, forcing himself to struggle into a sitting position. He groaned as his ribs creaked in protest and seriously thought about just letting the brunet kill him, then huffed and began to force himself to turn so his legs hung off the bed. "Well, fuck you, 'cause I'm not just gonna sit around and let ya—"

Seto pressed a finger against the blond's forehead and pushed lightly, unable to help a smirk of amusement as the demon fell backward onto the mattress with a thud. "Weak as a kitten."

"_Just wait until I'm healed up I'll break your face jeez ya must be gettin' a kick outta this I hate ya so much,_" Joey grumbled, trying to roll onto his side. He let out a keen of agony as he rolled onto his shattered hip. His residual powers must have been going into overdrive to try and heal his broken bones—especially his hip—and he was lucky he didn't just pass out again. How had he even moved as much as he had? He was lucky Seto hadn't allowed him to stand up.

…Why hadn't Seto allowed him to stand up? He was a sadistic prick, worse than even a lot of demons he knew. Scowling, Joey bit his bottom lip, then forced himself into a sitting position again.

He was promptly shoved back down. "Why don't you just lie there and heal? This can't possibly be good for you," Seto drawled, walking around the bed.

"Like you care. You just want me t' get healthy so you can kill me yourself," the blond spat angrily. "Well, fuck you too!"

Seto turned to look at him in surprise. "…Um? I'm just looking after you until Yugi gets back from whatever emergency meeting he's having," he stated after a minute, frowning. "You shouldn't flatter yourself."

"Tch, flatter myself. Nothin' t' flatter myself _about._" Looking around, he realized he was indeed in Yugi's room. "How long have I been out?"

"About twenty minutes, really. Yugi dragged you inside before the driver of the car could get out and then sent him on his way. He wiped the guy's mind clean of the incident so there won't be any trouble for you. I thought I should bring you upstairs in case someone saw your body and flipped out."

Joey mused that there was still plenty of time to buy a rope and end himself. He wondered if he still had the nerve after this failed attempt.

"…GEH!" He sat up abruptly despite the pain. "He undid all my hard wooork!"

Seto grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back down, scowling. "Must you insist upon undoing all of the healing your body has done?"

Joey bopped him in the nose for his efforts. "Fuck you and your high horse!"

"…Well fuck you too," the brunet snapped after a moment.

The demon hissed and reached over to touch his broken arm. "Hmm. Not too bad. Almost healed already." He felt his hip. "Little worse. Still not bad." He sat up again and dared the brunet to push him down again with a gleaming red glare. The human, to his credit, did not try his luck this time.

Joey took a deep breath, then sighed and ground his teeth. "Well. Tell Yug' he knows how t' reach me."

He stood, listened to his hip bone crackle and snap, then clenched his hands into fists and began limping toward the door.

He gasped as a feathery white wing flew up in front of him, flinching back onto his wounded leg, then whimpered as he began to fall backward. He hadn't realized Yugi had returned. He fell back onto another large wing, trembling in pain as he was somehow gently maneuvered back onto the bed with only the two wings.

Seto raised an eyebrow as he watched the blond pant and bite his bottom lip as he tried to deal with the sudden pain. "Somehow, I thought that my knowing you were a demon would make you act less stupid. Apparently, you're just stupid."

Joey looked up at him, scowling, but frowned when he realized the feathery wings that had so gently eased him back onto the bed were instead springing from the brunet's back. "…You're a…?"

"…An angel?" the taller boy asked after a moment. "Quite."

The blond felt as if he'd had a bucket of ice-cold water poured on him. He'd been told he was looking for a human. Seto was an angel. He'd been chasing after the wrong person all along.

And he didn't think he had the strength to try again once he healed.

Joey felt the centuries of loneliness and want compound in his human chest and began sobbing. His heart was broken and it would never be fixed. He was too old to change his ways as a demon and too powerful to let his guard down. He was just going to _be alone_ until the end of his existence and who knew when that would be when he was supposedly immortal?

Seto shifted awkwardly. He knew the blond was a demon, but as an angel, he just wanted to comfort him as he cried like a child. He was clearly exhausted and hurt.

The acolyte had fucked this entire thing up. She hadn't checked to make sure it was a human being born rather than an angel reincarnating itself and had told Yugi that he was supposed to be the blond's special person. Yugi hadn't recognized him as an angel because they'd never really hung out in the same circle (Yugi was a guardian angel and Seto an avenging one) and had blindly tried to force Joey upon him.

Seto had tried getting closer to Yugi so they could discuss it, and the idiot had wrongly believed that Seto had been more attracted to him than Joey and had turned tail and run, which the demon had only taken as a hint to pursue him _more._ Seto had had no choice but to threaten him without knowing his intentions.

Then the acolyte had come and explained to him, head bowed in humiliation as she apologized over and over. He'd gone to talk to Yugi to clear up the misunderstanding and had actually been surprised when the blond had really taken his threat to heart.

Seto felt just a little ashamed. He'd driven a misguided demon to kill himself. As an avenging angel, he may not have been as in tune with other people, but he still had the need to comfort others. And the acolyte had said she'd gotten permission from angels in higher positions because even though Joey was a demon, he was loyal and a hard worker, deserving of someone to call a mate.

Seto sat down next to him on the bed and reached into his pocket for a handkerchief (he didn't really like them, but for some reason, rich humans considered them a status symbol, so he'd gotten some). After an awkward pause, he offered it to the blond.

Joey stared at it for a moment in disbelief. "Are you… offerin' me a hanky after ya told me you'd kill me yesterday?"

The brunet stared at him for a moment. "…So you don't want it?"

"…_No,_" the blond replied, hiccupping quietly. "Just leave me alone." He sat up and began to stand, but the brunet's wings muscled him back down—this time, over onto his lap. He struggled initially, but he was so weak and tired—

He blinked as the brunet smashed the handkerchief against his nose. "Nyeh—"

"Blow your nose."

Baffled and maybe a tad bit unnerved, he blew his nose as he'd been directed. Once the handkerchief was pulled away from his face, he looked up at the angel with wide eyes. "What the fuck?"

"…You're sloppy-looking and it annoyed me."

Joey stared. "Ya put me on your lap and _blew my nose._"

Seto at least had the decency to blush a little. "I'm usually sent down to avenge children who lose their parents."

"…I am not a child!" the blond roared angrily, only to sputter as the angel folded up the handkerchief so he could use the clean side to mop up the tears on his face. "Blargh!"

"Thanks for moving Joey for me, Kaiba! I probably should have done that before I left—" Yugi froze in the doorway just as the two squabbling boys froze on the bed. He stared at them for a few minutes, taking in the blond's damp and red cheeks, the brunet's extended wings and the handkerchief in his hand, with Joey on his lap.

He stared a little longer, then simply turned and walked back out, closing the door behind him.

Seto stared at the door awkwardly. This might be a little difficult to explain later.

Joey sniffed, frowning. At least the brunet wasn't scrubbing his face with his stupid hanky anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked at the length of rope in front of him and frowned, reaching out to test it. It was thin, but strong. This would do for what he needed.

"Still insisting on dying?"

The blond flinched, then turned to look up beside him to find Seto leaning against the wall and raising an eyebrow at him, arms crossed over his chest. "I thought you were tellin' Mokuba how busy ya were at work."

"Had a funny feeling about you coming in here alone," the angel replied, shrugging. He nodded at the coil of rope. "Trying to kill yourself again?"

Joey narrowed his eyes. "It's t' tie bales of cardboard together for my _landlady,_" he hissed, outraged.

Seto blinked. "…Oh."

"Isn't there someone else you could be botherin'? Or go do some paperwork. Just leave me alone. Freak, puttin' me on your lap and makin' me blow my nose into your stupid hanky—" he continued, gradually growing louder.

He flinched as he heard a squeal, eyes widening as he heard two girls on the next aisle looking at gardening gloves giggling.

"_Doesn't that sound so cute? Blowing his boyfriend's nose for him?"_

"_And into a hanky! What sort of man carries a hanky around these days?"_

"_A super sweet one that cares about his boyfriend!"_

Seto's cheeks flushed a nice pink color.

"_And on his lap, too! How adorable!"_

"_I bet they were cuddling! How sweet!"_

"…I'm going to kill you," Joey hissed, cheeks flushed dark red, before he grabbed the coil of rope and stomped up toward the cashier.

Being a human was making him soft. If he was a demon, he'd have smote the two girls and promptly thrown the brunet through a few buildings. He was certainly going to be laughed at when his human life ended and he returned home.

Joey frowned as he reached into his pocket for his money only for the brunet to come behind him and swipe his card to pay instead. He turned to shout at him. "Geh? Asshole, I was gonna pay for that myself! Now I hafta pay ya back! Jeez, how much was this again—GAH!" He snarled as the brunet snatched the receipt from the cashier's hand before he could get it. "Kaiba, what the hell!"

"I paid for it, so I get the receipt," Seto replied, turning to walk away. "It's an apology for saying that you were going to hang yourself with it."

"_Look, isn't that cute? They're teasing each other!"_

"_I know, it's just so adorable!"_

Joey blushed brightly again and rushed around the brunet to glare up at him. "Asshole, everyone's gonna think we're dating!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?"

"Yug' told me that it was a mistake! Jeez, I'm not totally stupid!"

"Just a little bit though?" the angel began to tease, then pasted on a hurt expression. "You think I'm a mistake?"

"YOU—JOKING—STOP IT—AGH—I HATE YOU!" Joey roared. He was too angry to form complete sentences, especially when he heard the girls gasp, so he turned and stormed out of the store.

Shit. Yugi had told him that teasing Joey wasn't a good idea. He was still hurting and maybe later, after he'd gotten over it, he might take some light ribbing, but teasing him like this…

"Well?"

Seto jumped and turned, eyes wide.

The two girls glared at him. "Aren't you going to go after him?"

"You _clearly_ hurt his feelings. What sort of boyfriend are you?"

The other gasped. "An abusive one!"

They both glared, clearly appalled with his abusive behavior.

Seto held his hands up and laughed nervously. "No, no, I was just teasing-! …I'll go apologize to him right now!" He left at a higher clip than he normally would. Human girls were more terrifying than even the most ancient of demons and angels.

Walking quickly to catch up with the blond, he peeked over his shoulder and blanched a little when he saw the pair had stepped outside and were watching to make sure he did it. Despite not wanting to cause the blond undue stress, his job in this life wasn't complete yet and he wasn't ready to be murdered by two teenage girls.

Joey jumped a little as an arm wrapped around his shoulders and looked up in confusion. "What the hell-?"

"I am _so sorry,_ honey bun."

"…Honey bun?"

"I won't hurt your feelings like that again."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you forgive me?"

Joey stopped walking and turned to face him, scowling. "What the _hell_ are you talkin' about?"

Seto stared at him, peeked at the two girls still watching them, then looked back down at the blond, willing him with his eyes to understand that he didn't want to die today.

The blond stared back at him, angry expression fading. "…Kaiba, I know ya don't like me, and when ya go back t' Heaven, you'll probably forget all about me, but… will you be my physical support here until we die? Because if ya won't, I'd really just like it if ya left me alone."

"…Neh?" The angel tilted his head, frowning. "That seems rather sudden after everything we've done to each other."

Joey looked down at his feet and sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"And you know that even if I agreed, I can't physically support you when I'm in Heaven."

"I know." His eyes remained on his shoes.

Seto sighed and rubbed the back of his head, brows furrowing together. "…Well, Mina did say that if it wasn't for the fact of what I was, we'd be a perfect match. I guess it won't matter for a while. We'll only live about forty or fifty more years anyway."

Joey looked up at him in surprise. "Mina-? Ya mean that airheaded twit that didn't even check what ya were before ya were born?"

"Hey, she's new. New people make mistakes," the brunet muttered, slightly annoyed that the demon thought it perfectly acceptable to call angels terrible names—even if it was true.

"Not if they're demons," the blond replied, scowling. "We're an unforgiving bunch most of the time. If ya screw up, you're food." He paused, frowning thoughtfully. "I made a mistake once and the only reason I lived was because I was still young enough that my ma came runnin' out of the house and ripped the guy apart limb from limb. Hoo, but compare her to any of these human dames and she seems like a fuzzy bunny!"

Seto stared at him for a moment, glanced at the girls that were still watching them (though mostly with confused expressions now, as the blond began to laugh), then looked back at the blond. "…So. Um. Do you forgive me?"

"Huh, for what?" Joey blinked. "Oh, uh, I guess. For whatever ya did. …Why do ya wanna apologize so bad for, anyway…?"

He heard the squeals again, turned, and gaped as the two girls clasped their hands together and began cooing about how sweet and adorable and happy they were.

"…Yeah," he muttered, nodding to himself.

Seto frowned. "Yeah, what?"

"…Yeah, you're on your own. Better go bale up boxes now!" Joey stated cheerfully, then took off at an admirable sprint, leaving him alone with the two girls.

Seto turned to look at the girls, squeaked, and began running after him when their eyes glinted with a malice unique to fan girls.


	11. Tragedy

Author's Note: If any of you speak French and you see that what I've put in here is wrong, please tell me how to fix it and I will.

* * *

><p><span>Tragedy<span>

Joey raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, Mokie. Who's your friend?"

Mokuba blew a raspberry. "Joey, you _know_ who he is!"

The blond frowned. "I do?"

The red-haired boy laughed. "You've probably seen dozens of pictures of me, anyway!"

Joey stared.

"…This is Hikaru," Mokuba introduced shortly, scowling. "Midori only has a bajillion pictures of him on her desk."

"Oh!" Joey smiled. "Yeah, whenever she starts talkin' about ya, I sort of tune her out!"

Hikaru blinked, jaw dropping with speechlessness.

"JOEY, WHAT THE HELL!" Mokuba roared, glaring at him.

Joey frowned. "I tune out your brother when he talks about you, too, if that makes it any better."

"IT. DOESN'T. It just makes it worse!" The younger boy pouted, feeling genuinely hurt. "Why? Don't you like me?"

The blond frowned and squatted down in front of him so he could meet his eyes. "Mok'. It's not about whether I like you or not. I didn't have a good childhood. I was never particularly smart or special and my parents only talked about me when I did something wrong. I just… stop listening to people when they talk about kids. Because I get mad that I never had that." He glanced away and sighed. "I know it's terrible. I'm still talkin' t' that therapist that Seto sent me to. We're workin' things out."

"You know, 'therapist' is just 'the rapist' shoved together," Hikaru commented, clasping his hands behind his back.

Joey and Mokuba turned to look at him. The younger boy raised an eyebrow. "Hikaru. What the hell."

"I thought I'd diffuse some of the heaviness of the conversation. By the way, my mom knows you don't pay attention, because she says the same thing every time and you never mention it," he added, rocking back on his heels. "She's quite unimpressed."

"Midori's unimpressed with me? Nooo, she's my favorite person at the company!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing his hair.

Mokuba looked up at him in disgruntlement.

The blond paused. "…Aside from your brother, of course. Most of the time. When he doesn't piss me off."

"…Fine. Well, let's go!" the raven-haired boy said cheerfully. "Hikaru and Midori are going out for lunch, too!"

Joey smiled and reached down to grab both of their heavy duffle bags. "Hey, maybe you guys can go out to lunch with us!"

Hikaru smiled awkwardly. "Oh. Well, I don't know. I don't really like fancy food, and Mom doesn't really like expensive places—"

"We're going to Burger World," Joey cut in bluntly.

"…Oh."

"Hey, how come we _don't_ go to fancy places anymore?" Mokuba asked after a minute, frowning. "I don't mind, because I don't like getting dressed up to go eat, but Seto always liked it because he likes fancy food. You don't even go on many dates anymore…"

The blond grimaced. "That's… sort of my fault. I mean, Seto's the one that decided we shouldn't eat out so much anymore, but it was because of something I did."

Mokuba blew another raspberry. "Joey, please. I flick mashed potatoes at waiters when I'm bored. There's nothing you could possibly do to embarrass him."

Hikaru looked up at the blond and frowned. "What happened?"

"Ah, uh. Well." Joey blushed a little and glanced away. "The last time we went out, I wasn't quite ready, so I told him I'd meet him there after I was finished. Well, I got there, but… Uh… The maitre d' wouldn't let me in." He blushed a little more. "I had t' call Seto from outside. He was _pissed._ He was yelling at anyone who worked there.

"I just stood there. The maitre d' kept makin' all sorts of excuses and skirtin' the real issue until he finally just blurted out that they didn't allow 'Yakuza scum' on the premises." He ducked his head. "Seto was so disgusted that he couldn't even yell properly. He just grabbed my arm and dragged me out. I thought maybe we'd just come home, but he was so mad he just drove around for a while. I was too embarrassed t' bother him and I didn't want him t' get mad at me…"

"Aw, Joey." Mokuba frowned.

Hikaru blinked up at him and frowned. "You're Yakuza?"

"…Maybe a little, once upon a time," Joey mumbled, shifting the weight of the duffle bags on his shoulders. "God, what's in these things? You're still wearin' most of your gear!"

"Mostly snacks full of sugar and stuff," the boys replied.

Joey squawked in affront. "Why the fuck am I carryin' them, then!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

"—And I don't think I'm quite getting enough out of this partnership, Mr. Kaiba. I partnered with you for this project because you're the best, but the reports I'm getting are… lacking."

Seto fought the urge to grimace. The man in front of him would glom onto it and eat him alive if he had the chance. "The reports I'm getting are quite… vague as well. I'll look into this, because it's just unacceptable."

The man stared at him with piercing brown eyes. It was almost unnerving, because they almost looked like Joey's eyes, but they were in the face of a man with short black hair and a few inches taller than him. "I hope you find out what's going wrong, Mr. Kaiba. If I lose money on this or have to push back release date, I'm going to tell the press exactly why if they ask."

If he wasn't carefully, his eyebrow would twitch, and this man was not just someone he could cow with a glare. "Yes, Mr. Kobayashi. I understand and I will deal with the problem as soon as I return from lunch."

Kobayashi scowled. "Why don't you deal with it now?"

Seto paused. "…Have you ever kicked a puppy, sir?"

"I am against animal cruelty," the man began, looking even angrier.

"—That's how my lover makes me feel when I don't keep lunch dates or dinner dates with him. He gives me this look like I've betrayed him because I care more about this company than I do him, and while other people have tried to make me feel the same, he is the only one that can actually execute it because that's how he really feels." Seto paused. "…I like puppies."

Kobayashi frowned. "Does he know he has that control over you? It's dangerous in your position."

"I'm sure he knows. He hasn't used it against me yet, though." Seto shrugged. "He's skittish. He's afraid of doing something that would make me push him away. –In any case," he added, forcing the thought of blond puppies from his mind because this meeting had gotten _way too personal_. "I'll look into it after I get back from lunch and get back to you. How long will you be in Domino?"

"A few days." Kobayashi cleared his throat awkwardly. "My son's… fiancée is dead-set on getting a wedding dress that she's dreamt of from her childhood and they only have it here, so I'll be helping her with that. She has no family so I've taken her under my… financial wing." He paused. "She's thrifty, but if that's the dress she wants, I won't take no for an answer. She hasn't seen the price tag yet."

Seto snorted. It reminded him of when he and Joey had first started dating and they'd had to go to places that Joey could afford so that he could put in half. It had taken months to convince him that Seto just wanted to spoil him a little. It worked well when Joey couldn't see the price tag.

He'd bought Joey a lot of things that way.

Seto stood and offered his hand. "I'll make sure to call you once I finish. My secretary should have your number."

Kobayashi raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And how do you know that?"

"…Because I saw you give her your card with your cell phone number on the back. Do you flirt with everyone's secretaries or just mine?"

The man at least had the decency to blush a little. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm a widower. I'm allowed to think women are attractive now—it's been several years since she died."

"And you just happened to think my secretary is attractive. That's not weird or anything."

Kobayashi blinked. "…Are you her… teenage son or something?"

"…No, but she has one named Hikaru who will be her first priority always." Seto led him to the door. "I was thinking about asking her if she and her son would like to join us for lunch."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Would her son really enjoy that-?"

Seto looked up at him and deadpanned, "We're going to Burger World."

"…That seems… Okay. Why not. Children."

Seto allowed him out of his office first, then turned to his secretary. "Midori, would you care to join me and take Hikaru out to lunch? We're going to Burger World."

She looked up at him in surprise. "B… Burger World?"

"Joey's coming and he likes it there," he replied.

She pursed her lips. "I see."

She knew about the incident that had turned him off from fancy places and had been tirelessly looking up high-class restaurants that wouldn't turn Joey away if he wasn't accompanied by Seto himself. She hadn't found any up to his standards yet.

Midori tilted her head for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, I don't see why not. It might actually give Hikaru a chance to get rid of his energy from soccer practice. I don't know how he does it, but just always seems to come back from practice hyped up instead of exhausted."

Seto and Kobayashi glanced at each other before they looked back at her and deadpanned, "Candy and soda in his duffle bag."

She looked up at them in surprise. "What?"

"It's a boy thing," Kobayashi continued, sighing.

"…Well he's grounded when we get home tonight!" she huffed, gathering her things into her purse, then stood. "Let's get going so I can give him a dirty look and say 'I know.'" She paused, then smiled coyly. "Mr. Kobayashi, would mind if I took your arm?"

"Not at all," he replied suavely, and allowed her to take it as he led her to the elevator.

Seto didn't bother to hide his grimace this time. She was like an aunt to him and she'd been single as long as he remembered. This was weird.

"Mr. Kaiba, are you coming?" she asked impatiently, and he realized they'd been waiting at the elevator for him.

He huffed and stalked up after them. "Yes."

She nudged him gently as the doors closed. "Are you pouting because I usually take your arm?"

"…No."

Kobayashi snorted. "As adult as you appear to be, you're still just a child."

"I'll punch you," Seto warned, glaring at him, and nearly blanched when he realized that Joey might finally be rubbing off on him.

"Boys, behave. You can both take me to lunch," Midori teased, laughing. "I just can't date you, Mr. Kaiba. I like Joey. He's had a positive impact on you."

"…Positive impact my Blue-Eyes White Dragon," the brunet grumbled. He'd have to talk to Joey about this. He'd never grumbled before. How humiliating.

The lights flickered violently.

Seto looked up at them in concern. If the power went out, they'd flicker a few times, then go back to a steady gleam. This wasn't right. Something must be—

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey frowned as an ambulance went blaring by them, then turned to watch as not one, not two, but three fire trucks rushed past. These were followed by another ambulance. The cacophony of wailing sirens was nearly deafening. He looked up to see if there was smoke and found it not too far away. He hoped it didn't affect Kaiba Corp too much. He knew that Seto would probably evacuate the building and then complain about all of the time wasted—

…Wasn't that about where Kaiba Corp should be…?

As if having the same thoughts, both of the younger boys latched onto him worriedly.

"Maybe there was an accident in front of the building?" Hikaru suggested.

"Or maybe something they were testing short-circuited or something," Mokuba added. "That shouldn't be too bad. Right, Joey?"

Joey looked down at them. "…I think it's bad," he stated. He saw both of them pale and scowled. "Don't go to pieces. Your brother doesn't need that and neither does your mom. We're gonna go t' the buildin' and see if we can help, and if we can't, we're gonna go somewhere safe and wait for more information. Mokuba, ya got your cell phone?" Mokuba nodded. "Hikaru, do ya have a cell phone?"

"Um, yeah. It's in my bag."

Joey set the bags down so they could get their cell phones, watching as more ambulances and fire trucks went blaring past them. "Don't try callin' 'em yet. Wait until we get there and see what's goin' on. Don't wanna tie up any phone lines."

Once they had their phones in hand, he hefted the duffle bags back onto his shoulders and led them toward the Kaiba Corp building at a high lope.

Two blocks from the building, there was a line of caution tape and a group of officers was actively turning gawkers away, because it was certainly Kaiba Corp spewing smoke.

He approached one of the officers and before the man could tell him to leave, he asked, "Casualties?"

The officer opened his mouth to snarl at him, then paused. "…Wheeler?"

"Are there any casualties?" Joey repeated, letting the duffle bags drop beside him.

The man sighed. "We don't know. There's too much going on. We're mostly treating people with smoke inhalation and minor burns, but they haven't brought down people that were close to the explosion."

"Explosion? And you're not lettin' people by," the blond muttered, looking up at the smoking building. He looked back at the officer and asked, "If I leave these guys nearby, will ya keep an eye on 'em?"

"I'll try to keep an eye on 'em as well as I can."

"Good." Joey grabbed the duffle bags and led them over to a covered bus stop. "You guys stay here. Try callin' Seto and Midori. Call. Let it go to voicemail. Leave a message. Call again. Keep doin' it until ya can't leave anymore voicemails and then keep callin'. Okay?"

Mokuba frowned. "Where are you going, Joey?"

"…Gonna go get your brother," the blond replied, then turned and began sprinting for the caution tape.

The two boys watched in awe as he leapt over the tape cleanly and dodged between two of the cops, disappearing behind some cars and people rushing away from the scene. They vaguely heard the cop that had recognized him barking into his walkie-talkie, but then they remembered what they'd been told to do and began dialing.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey got to the front of the building just as the people closest to the explosion were being brought out. He recognized a duel card locket hanging from one of the stretchers and rushed over to it, gasping in horror when he saw half of the brunet's face was burnt black. He reached for his wounded lover's hand but was brushed away by one of the paramedics, so he only got the chain of the locket. He bit his bottom lip when it was easily dragged from the brunet's fingers, because he'd have never willing let go of it.

"Joey!"

Joey turned sharply and couldn't help a sob. "_Midori._"

She held her hands out to him from her stretcher, tears streaming down her burnt and bloody face. "Joey, where's my baby? Is he okay? What happened?"

He rushed over to her and grabbed her hands; apparently this was okay with the paramedics, because they hadn't been able to calm her down. "He's okay, Midori. He's with Mokuba. They couldn't come with me so I left 'em someplace safe. Are you okay, Midori?"

She sobbed and shook her head. "Oh, Joey, if Kobayashi hadn't put himself between me and the blast—Joey, I don't know—Do I look okay? I don't feel hurt anywhere but the paramedics told me I'm burnt. Oh, Joey, take care of my baby for me!"

Joey smiled and nodded. "Yeah, alright. We'll come t' the hospital and he's gonna tell ya all about how soccer practice went."

"Oh, that's right—he has a game on Saturday—I do hope I can go to it—"

"I'm sure ya will," he soothed. "And I'll cheer with ya and those little munchkins will score all the goals. They gotta put ya in the ambulance now, Midori. You'll be okay. We'll come straight t' the hospital even if I have t' carry 'em all the way there."

"Thank you, Joey. It almost makes up for all the times you ignored me talking about Hikaru," she replied tearfully, before the paramedics eased her from Joey's grip and put her in the ambulance.

Joey flinched. "I'll listen to all your little stories about him after ya get better, okay?"

"Okay. You better promise!" she called before the doors were slammed shut.

One of the paramedics came up and shook his hand. "We've been trying to calm her down since we got her out of the elevator. Thanks for your help, but you'd better get out of the way now. There are more people being brought down and you'll just get in the way."

"Yeah, okay," Joey whispered, then began the walk back to where he'd left Mokuba and Hikaru.

It had felt like hours when he'd been running _to_ the building. It seemed to take even longer to walk back, and not just because he wasn't running anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey and Mokuba looked through the glass, the younger boy's eyes filling with tears as he listened to the steady beeps of all of the machines. "Joey, he's in so much pain."

Joey gripped the locket in his hand tightly. "I know. He's been in pain for several days."

"Joey, will you tell him?" Mokuba begged, looking up at him. "I can't stand the thought of—Seto might think I—"

Joey knelt in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll tell him ya love him very much. He won't think anything other than that ya love him. Okay?"

The younger boy sniffled and nodded. "Yeah, okay. I—I'm gonna go see Hikaru and Midori. Call me if he gets worse."

"I will. Just relax, kiddo. Midori will make ya feel better." The blond patted him on the head, then stood, gripping his hands into tight fists as he took a deep breath. He made sure the younger boy was out of sight before he cleaned up and suited up to step into the room.

He approached the bed and gently slipped the chain of the locket into the brunet's fingers, catching it on one of his fingers so the locket hung from it. "Seto? Can ya hear me?"

The slumbering brunet didn't reply.

Joey knelt beside the bed, reaching up to brush the brunet's hair out of his eyes. "Seto? Seto, I want ya t' know I love ya. Mokuba and I love ya very much. So… so much." He traced his fingers over the skin grafts and sobbed. "We know you're hurtin'. We know… we know you're in so much pain. I mean, lookit all the meds they got ya doped on." He sniffed. "We just want ya t' know that… that we'll be okay. If ya wanna let go, and stop bein' in pain, we'll be okay.

"If ya wanna just go away, and stop hurtin', we won't mind. We'll be okay. So you can go and be happy. We just want ya t' know that it's okay t' let go. We won't be mad at ya. We'll understand. We just want ya t' stop hurtin'. So… so if ya wanna go, ya can."

He bit his bottom lip and rested his hand on the bed, staring at the brunet's injured face and thinking he still looked beautiful even in pain. He felt tears rolling down his cheek but didn't sob. He'd been crying a lot the last few weeks. He didn't need to make a huge scene about it.

"…_Jeneserontcertainementpas_."

Joey blinked and looked up at him again. "…W… What?"

"…_Je ne_…" Seto's lips were moving, just the tiniest bit! "…_Seront_… _certain_…_ement_… _pas_."

Joey sobbed and stood up. "Seto, are ya talkin' t' me?"

"_Non, je pensais que je parle à moie-même pendant un certain temps_." Seto licked his dry lips and coughed weakly.

The blond slammed his hand against the 'call nurse' button and turned as doctors and nurses immediately filed in. "He's talkin'! I think he's just babblin', but he's sayin' stuff and his mouth is movin'!"

He was rushed out of the room as the doctors and nurses began reassessing him. He just watched them for a few minutes, unable to help feeling excited, before remembering he needed to call Mokuba. "Mokuba, he's talkin'! He's just babblin', but he's talkin'!"

"_I'll be right there, Joey!"_

Mokuba took the stairs and appeared only five minutes later, breathless. "He's babbling? That's better than nothing. Did his eyes open?"

"No, his eyes were closed, but his mouth was moving and he said stuff," Joey explained, smiling through his tears. "I don't know if he'll be okay, but he just said it with such ferocity-!"

"Mr. Kaiba, he's asking for you," one of the doctors said, leaning out of the room. "Would you mind cleaning and suiting up and coming in to see him?"

Mokuba looked up at him, then nodded shortly. "Yeah, okay."

Joey waited with baited breath as the younger boy went in and spoke quietly with his brother. He wanted nothing more than to go in and listen, but he'd said his piece and maybe Seto was trying to whisper his last words to his brother.

When Mokuba walked back out, he looked both stunned and annoyed. "What was it, Mokuba? More babblin', huh?"

"'_Mokuba, dites-leur que je ne suis pas du babillage et je parle francais._'"

Joey frowned. "…What?"

"'Mokuba, tell them I am not babbling and I am speaking in French.' …Joey, he's not babbling and he's speaking in French."

"…Like I've ever heard anyone speak French before!" the blond snarled, blushing.

"The doctors think it might be some sort of brain trauma. Or French is just easier to speak because he doesn't have to move his mouth so much, or something. I don't really understand because they're all talking to each other in doctor-speak." Mokuba reached out to grab his hand and looked down at his feet. "…He says to tell you 'Je t'aime beaucoup. Et je ne suis pas en train de mourir.'" He smiled when Joey blinked at him in confusion. "I love you very much. And I am not dying."

Joey covered his mouth and took a deep breath, smiling, even as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess I love 'im too, even when he's making me worry and shit."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto looked around the charred remains of the highest floor they could get to, reaching out to grab his lover's hand. Apparently a large explosion had been set on one side of the building to get the top floors to collapse and slide off so that they would crush and burn anyone it caught on the ground. Luckily, that hadn't happened, but the blast had blown out the side of the elevator he'd been standing on, and almost everyone in the above floors had died.

Joey kicked a piece of burnt timber away, frowning when he realized it used to be a desk. "This is gonna be expensive…"

"…I don't think it is," Seto rasped slowly. His stint speaking only French _had_ been caused by the head trauma when his head had bashed into the opposite side of the elevator. It had taken several days before he'd finally forced some other language out (he wasn't sure which, but it certainly wasn't one Joey spoke, because the blond had only smiled awkwardly and patted his hand).

He still found himself slipping into French when he wasn't concentrating hard. The doctors had assured him that it was only temporary and the more he talked in his primary language, it would start to come naturally. Joey was incredibly patient with him.

He almost believed that Joey liked it when he spoke foreign words to him.

Joey looked up at him in concern. "What is it, Seto?"

"…I can't… do this… anymore. Doing dangerous things was okay… but what if you… and Mokuba had been… here?" Seto cleared his throat, eyes watering a little in pain; being up here reminded him that his flesh had been nearly seared off. It almost felt like he was burning all over again.

"…Well, we wouldn't have been as high up, so it woulda been okay…"

"No. It doesn't… matter where you… would have been. I just want to… keep you both safe. This was… This was unacceptable. –And Midori. She was hurt, and so was Kobayashi." Seto lifted a hand to rub his eyes tiredly. "Kobayashi is… stuck in a wheelchair for the… rest of his life now. I don't ever… want this to happen again. Maybe I shouldn't… open the building again."

Joey looked up at him and frowned. "Seto, ya don't mean that. I mean, yeah, it's unsafe, and maybe ya need t' implement some more security procedures, but… but Seto, this is your _life—_"

"Maybe it _shouldn't_ be," Seto snapped angrily, then began to cough.

Joey began rubbing his back. "Seto, ya thirsty? Ya need a drink? I brought a water bottle. Doctors said ya might still have damage from smoke inhalation—"

"—So sick of this…" The brunet snarled something in French, then let out an exhausted sigh and turned to hug the blond tightly. "I'll be fine… I think. …We'll see what… happens… once I'm healed."

The younger boy nuzzled his chest. "Okay. Yeah." He kissed the brunet's neck, shuddering when he felt the burnt-warm-hurt-scarred skin against his lips. He knew that Seto would be getting more plastic surgery done after his skin had finished healing (and he was paying for Midori despite her protests), but feeling the hurt skin, knowing that Seto had been in so much pain that he'd been willing to tell him it was okay to die…

Seto leaned back and brushed the blond's hair out of his eyes. Somehow, he knew that Joey was probably more broken than he was. While he'd suffered the pain and helplessness of serious injury, he knew—he _knew_—that Joey was there for him and would help him recover every step of the way.

And Joey had told him it was okay for him to let go. If he wanted to stop being in pain, Joey wouldn't have hated him if he died. He would have understood and allowed him to stop hurting despite having to carry on alone without him, raising his little brother for him and doing his best to keep the company running until Mokuba could take over.

Joey was by far a better person than Seto could hope to be, because he knew that if the situation was reversed… he wouldn't have had the strength to let Joey go. He was selfish, and needy, and so afraid that no one could love or understand him like Joey could that he didn't want to ever lose him. He felt guilty that Joey was stuck with him, because he knew that Joey knew that he was too twisted and broken to be normal, and even if they broke up, Seto might never be able to accept that.

He wanted to love as unconditionally as Joey could, but Joey was the trusting puppy and he would always be the greedy, cold dragon that scared other people away from his treasure.

Joey reached up to cup his cheek and frowned. "Seto, don't cry. I'm right here."

Seto jerked slightly in surprise. He hadn't even known he'd started crying.

The blond went up on his toes to kiss him lightly. "I'll be right here every step of the way."

Seto didn't sob, but he continued to cry, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful human being standing in front of him. He knew that Joey had his flaws. Perhaps his loyalty was one of them.

Joey tilted his head and reached up to cup the brunet's scarred-burnt-wet cheek, not flinching as his mind _screamed_ that this wasn't his lover's face. "Seto. I will _always_ be by your side."

"…I believe you." Seto grabbed his hands and held them tightly. "I know you'll… always be there. So… thank you."

"You're welcome, Seto. Come on, let's go. This place is makin' me sad." The blond paused, then went up on his toes to kiss him again. "And I'm sure it's not helpin' you, either." He kissed him again a few times, reached up to trace his fingers over the side of his face that had slammed into the elevator after the explosion, then leaned back and smiled at him. "'nd maybe if you're feelin' up to it… we could cuddle?"

"_Je voudrais beaucoup._"

Joey blinked.

Seto flinched. "…I would… like that very much."

"…Then we'll cuddle." The blond smiled. "I'm so glad ya came outta this okay, Seto. Ya have no idea how scared I was."

The older boy opened his mouth, paused, then smiled instead of saying anything. He liked to think he did, but he knew that arguing would have the opposite effect of what they wanted.

Besides, Joey might decide he didn't want to cuddle with him if he argued.


	12. Angst

Author's Note: Somehow, we're in an era where guns are a thing but they're _just_ starting to make domesticated dogs a thing. Also being gay is a-okay here, too? I don't know. Just go with it!

* * *

><p><span>Angst<span>

Joey galloped up the hill and barked excitedly. _"Come on, Akai, we're gonna miss it!"_

"_I don't __**care**__ if we miss it,"_ the black wolf growled, following him at a much slower pace. _"You're too infatuated with that stupid human, Joey."_

"_I am not!"_ the blond wolf snarled, baring his teeth. His ears flew up as he heard a whistle in the distance. He scampered up the rest of the hill and gleefully hid under a bush. _"Tristan said he'd lead 'em over here."_

"_Tristan is an idiot."_ Akai settled himself under the bush much more regally than the blond could ever hope to. _"A lovesick __**fool.**__"_

"_Well, the lovesick fool is tryin' t' prove how brave he is for Serenity. At least she'll lick his wounds, this time. …Maybe."_ Joey wiggled, tail thumping the ground as he heard the throaty howl of another wolf. It took all of his control to keep from answering. _"They're comin'!"_

Akai rolled his red eyes and sighed quietly. Oh, the follies of youth. Well, he'd scold them later—Joey especially so. This infatuation with a human was incredibly unhealthy.

Tristan broke through the brush and galloped through the dell, a large leg of something in his mouth. He didn't even glance up at them as he dashed through the stream a few times before circling some trees and scampering away.

Joey licked his chops. _"Maybe sheep tonight."_

Akai's ears folded back in even greater annoyance. Stealing from humans was _dangerous._

He was going to make them crawl through the mud on their bellies for days.

Joey gasped, tail wagging harder as the familiar brunet rode through the trees and paused just inside the dell, the beautiful white horse he was riding nearly shining in the light. The human looked around, making the horse turn a few circles, before letting out a frustrated growl. "Damn. Kisara, can you find a scent?"

The two wolves stiffened as another wolf, a large white one that nearly matched Akai's size, slowly sniffed her way out of the forest and into the clearing, pink nose snuffling carefully.

Akai stiffened as he saw her blue eyes light up in triumph; she'd clearly caught the scent of the brown wolf and would happily lead the human to him—and, most likely, to their pack. _"Joey, stay here unless they find you. Then run and don't you dare look back."_

"_Huh?"_ Joey looked up at him in confusion, saw that his fur was bristling, and huddled further under the bush. _"Okay."_

Akai leapt out from under the bush as the white wolf began to howl to show she'd caught the scent, bashing into her and cutting her off mid-bay. They wrestled and growled and snarled for dominance.

Seto grabbed his gun and pointed it at them for a moment, then growled, pointing it up at the sky.

Joey flinched at each of the three shots he set off, glad that none of them were aimed at his pack leader.

Everyone seemed to freeze when one of the airborne shots hit a goose, making it plop onto the ground nearby. The two wolves and human turned to stare at it (the horse remained uninterested).

Finally, Akai stood and trotted over to it. He grabbed it by the neck and began out of the clearing. It was almost as if he'd planned the entire thing.

The white wolf and human could only stare.

Joey blinked, then smiled and backed out of the bushes so he could walk home. They'd have goose and lamb tonight! Yay!

He blinked as he heard the brunet angrily ask, "What the hell was _that?_" He turned to look over his shoulder, then sighed and walked away, tail curling up between his legs in guilt.

He'd never told anyone, but he'd always wanted to be one of the brunet's hunting dogs. He wanted to sit by him at his supper table and be pet, be told that he was a good companion. He didn't actually like living out here, out in the wild where he had to protect himself and his sister.

It wasn't like he was a wild wolf. His mother had somehow been mounted and bred with a common dog (hence his and Serenity's strange coloring). They'd managed as a small pack until eventually the others split away from the unhappily mated couple. Their mother had gone mad and killed their father—had almost killed them—and then had collapsed, eyes never closing as she wheezed her last breath.

He remembered the foam at his mother's mouth most vividly. It was white and thick and scary. But more than that, he remained the way that some of the foam turned pink from their father's blood still on her fangs.

Akai, who had rescued them while their parents had fought, quietly explained that it was a sickness. She'd had no idea who she was attacking—just that she needed to attack. She was no longer in pain. She was with the Lunara now. She was happy.

Akai had taken care of them and raised them as his own, and their small pack had slowly grown with more and more pups that had been abandoned or whose parents had been killed. Joey was friends with—a brother to—all of them. He loved his pack. But a part of his heart always wanted to serve others, especially the handsome human that had come to own the miles and miles of land around them.

Joey felt sick at the thought of it. He felt like he was betraying his pack whenever he thought about serving a human. They all loved him, and he loved all of them, but the domestic part of him wanted to be praised more than Akai ever would. Akai believed in tough love, after all, and his pack mates his age always teased him or just told him a bland 'good job' whenever he did something.

He wanted to be appreciated.

Joey whined quietly and looked up at the sky for a moment, begging the Lunara and Lunaro to please give him advice or to help him stop feeling this way. He was ashamed of wanting to be owned. He was half wolf, after all, and had been raised like a wolf. He shouldn't want to be owned!

He heard a howl inviting the rest of the pack to dinner and ran to catch up, hoping that his tail would uncurl from his belly by the time he got there.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Kisara growled angrily as she stalked into the barn. _"Some help __**you**__ were."_

The white horse blinked at her. _"You seemed to be doing well. What did you want me to do?"_

"_STOMP ON HIM!"_ she roared, then huffed and flopped onto the blanket that served as her bed. _"Stupid tramp. I could have tracked that little brown bastard and gotten that leg of lamb back."_

"_If your kind is resorting to stealing legs of lamb and walking off with geese that Seto accidentally kills, perhaps they have little left to hunt."_

"_Shut up, Allie. They are not __**my kind.**__ My kind is regal and strong and __**hunts**__ for their food, not scavenge."_

Allie sorted and began drinking from the nearest trough as Seto took her saddle and went to go prepare her stall. _"All wolves scavenge when food is low, Kisara. I don't believe that your kind is any better than any others."_

"You two sure are chatty today," Seto commented, walking over to rub the horse down. "Are you talking about our trip next week to the eastern edge of the property?"

"_Yes, Seto, because it's sooooo interesting,"_ Allie muttered.

Kisara rolled her eyes. _"You know, if he found a mate, he might not be so closed-minded. I mean, look at him. He's at his peak and he's not even __**looking**__ at other people. He should find a mate and pup her immediately. Maybe that would get the stick out of his ass."_ She rolled onto her back and yawned. _"Oh, well. At least he takes good care of us."_

"_That's for sure,"_ the horse smiled, letting the brunet wash her down without any fuss.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey snuffled the ground and scowled. _"Figures I'm stuck trackin' a pheasant while everyone else is given big game. Stupid Akai. Stupid Seto. This is the worst!"_

He knew he'd brought it upon himself, though. He'd put Tristan and the pack in danger and so he was being punished. After all, he was clearly in the wrong for asking Tristan to lead the brunet out just so he could see him. He wondered why Serenity was more wolfish than he was. Perhaps something about seeing his father always submitting had twisted his perspective.

Well, he'd bring back his pheasant and show his pack that he could do what he was told! He wasn't just some pain in the butt that had to be taken care of! He could hold his own! He could—

"AGH!"

Joey leapt back in horror as he came across the carnage that was a bear attack. He looked around frantically for the bear, so he wasn't surprised by it, but he eventually realized the scent of bear was stale. He took a deep breath and sighed in relief, then turned to see what the bear had left. If he was lucky, he could still kill the pheasant and then drag the carrion back so that they'd see how much better he did.

The wolf felt his blood run cold when he saw that the carrion he'd been salivating for was a familiar horse, eyes wide and unblinking and throat and stomach devoured. His tail curled up between his legs as he saw another blood-stained pile of white nearby. It was… it was Kisara, the white wolf Akai had fought with. She was still breathing, at least. Bears and wolves were on even keels, so the bear must have surprised the horse and Kisara had defended herself and the horse as best she good.

Joey whined and went over to her. _"You okay, lady?"_

She turned bloodshot eyes on him, chest heaving with each labored breath. _"Seto. Where's Seto?"_

"_Um. Oh. Uh!"_ Joey stood up straight and looked around, brows furrowing together in concern. He suddenly realized that he'd never seen the horse without Seto nearby. He looked, but he couldn't see him anywhere. _"Ooooh… Um, wait here."_

She growled. _"Do I look like I'm going anywhere? He broke my right legs."_

The blond whined and scampered away, tail tucked up between his legs. He snuffled and sniffed around the horse to pick up his sent, then scampered after it. He found the brunet a few yards away, hidden behind a tree. He was unconscious. He had blood on his shirt and pants.

He scampered back to the white wolf. _"He's hurt."_

"_Damn. I was hoping he could carry me back."_ She lifted her head to look at the horse and grimaced. _"Poor Allie… At least she died quickly."_ She laid her head down and huffed. _"Well, do what you will then, cur."_

Joey tilted his head, frowning. He didn't know what a cur was, but she hadn't sounded too malicious when she'd said it. He looked around and remembered that his family's den had been nearby, abandoned after his mother's maddened rampage.

…Akai would make him crawl on his belly until he died if he found out.

Kisara grunted in affront as the blond grabbed her by the scruff. _"What are you doing, pup?"_

"'_m takin' ya somewhere safe,"_ he replied, dragging her on her left side so he didn't aggravate her wounds. He heard her mutter some expletives, but she _had_ told him to do what he would, and he _would_ like to take her somewhere safe.

She found the small den to be agreeable. It was large enough to fit a small pack, so she was comfortable and out of the wind. She was surprised when he also dragged in Seto, but she was grateful. The human had a broken leg and some broken ribs, and an ugly scratch across his face, but luckily that had been from the bear grazing him, otherwise his head would have been missing.

Joey hesitated at the door. _"…I need t' go find a pheasant and take it back t' my pack. I'll come back with somethin' else for ya. Maybe we can get him t' eat."_

Kisara snorted. _"Don't forget that humans will eat berries and tubers._"

The blond scowled. _"That. Is. Disgusting."_

"_I know. Humans are silly."_ She smiled a little as the blond muttered in disgust and scampered out. He was an interesting little wolf. She'd never seen a yellow one before.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Serenity tilted her head as she watched her brother inhale some elk. _"…Joey, you're eating faster than usual."_ She smiled playfully. _"That pheasant give you a run for its money?"_

Joey grimaced and turned to look at the small pheasant that a few pups were using as a chew toy. _"Please don't remind me."_

"_You're just mad that Akai sent you to go get a stupid bird,"_ Tristan teased, sidling up beside him. He smiled. _"Hello, Serenity."_

She smiled awkwardly. _"Hello, Tristan."_

Joey rolled his eyes in disgust. _"Gag me with a bone."_ He gnawed off the thigh of the elk. _"Go ahead and make googly eyes. I'm leavin'."_

His sister looked mildly concerned, but she let him go.

Joey glanced to make sure no one was following him, then began loping away—not quickly, so he wouldn't look like he was running away, but fast enough that he looked like he had a purpose.

Akai watched him go with sharp eyes, but since he wasn't heading toward the humans' home, he wasn't too worried.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_It's not necessary to clean my wounds. I've been licking them for hours already,"_ Kisara stated bluntly. _"Thank you for the elk."_ She paused. _"…Maybe we can get Seto to eat some of it, too."_

Seto had awakened while the blond had been gone and had cursed up a storm. He'd yelled even more as soon as he tried to stand up and walk. Now, he just glared at the yellow wolf warily.

Joey squeaked. _"Ya want me t' take this over to him? __**Me?**__ He'll hit me!"_

"_At least he doesn't have his gun,"_ she replied, shrugging one shoulder. The blond whined, then grabbed the hunk of elk thigh and began to drag it over to him. She frowned. _"No, no, no. He can't eat it like that. You have to rip off little pieces so he can eat."_

The yellow wolf whined. _"Look at those little square teeth! How do they manage?"_

"_Some things called 'fors' and 'nifes.'"_

"_That. Is. Silly!_" Joey stated, grumbling, but ripped a few pieces off and began to carry them over to the weak human. He whined as the brunet snarled and pushed him away. _"He keeps pushin' meee!"_

"_Push him back!"_ Kisara snapped. _"It's not like he's in any shape to fight!"_

Joey frowned, then reached out to put his paw on the brunet's shoulder and shoved.

The human grunted, eyes wide in pain as his broken ribs were forced to move.

"_Yeah, that'll teach ya. Here."_ Joey set the meat on the brunet's lap and sat, smiling proudly.

Seto stared at him, then looked down at the meat. He hissed in disgust and shoved it off of his already blood-stained pants. "Disgusting."

"_I will drag myself over there and bite you,"_ Kisara growled, unable to help feeling anger at the crestfallen look on the blond wolf's face. _"Push him again. Show him who's boss here."_

"…_I thought he was,"_ Joey murmured, frowning. He ducked his head, ears wilted.

The white wolf rolled her eyes angrily as the young wolf began slinking away, tail tucked under his belly. _"You'd just lie down and let him walk all over you, wouldn't you, cur?"_

"…_I don't understand humans at all,"_ the blond muttered, then scampered out of the cave like a kicked puppy.

Kisara turned to glare at her master, who hissed angrily. _"Well, you know what? You're going to get hungry and __**then**__ you'll fucking eat it. And then where will you be? With those few stupid scraps because you're too hurt to drag yourself over here and I'm too hurt to rip off pieces and throw them at you."_ She frowned and looked out of the cave. _"Poor little pup. He's so stupid I can't help but like him._"

She looked at the thigh of elk. It wasn't much—probably all he could carry without raising suspicion—but as she watched the brunet grimace and hesitantly begin nibbling on a piece of raw meat, she realized that the blond had done more for both the human and her than a lot of other humans or animals had ever done.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_Joey."_

Joey flinched, tail curling up against his belly as he turned to look at his alpha. _"…Y-yeah?"_

Akai's red eyes glinted in the light. _"It seems we're long overdue for a very, __**very**__ serious talk. Come."_

Joey ducked his head and whined but began following him away from the rest of the pack, ears tucking back against his skull as he heard his pack mates giggling or whispering behind him.

Akai shot a glare back at them. _"You are all in for quite serious discussions soon. Joey is just the first. He is definitely not the last."_

He managed to unglue his ears from his head as the whispers and giggles immediately ended. He stood a little straighter as he followed the black wolf into the trees. _"Nyeh, uh, whatcha wanna talk about, Akai?"_

The older wolf continued walking. _"I want to talk about this unhealthy obsession you have with this human."_

Joey whimpered unconsciously. What if he'd found out about the human and the wolf he'd been feeding while they waited for someone to rescue them?

"_Asking Tristan to lead them over just so you could see them, suggesting he steal a leg of lamb just to make sure of it. Do you know how __**dangerous**__ that was?"_ Akai snarled, finally turning to face him. He bared his teeth. _"These humans are dangerous, and in a place that's still mostly wilderness, they hate creatures that steal food even more. Not only did you put Tristan in danger, not only did you put our whole __**pack**__ in danger, but you've made them think we're thieves. They may just start to shoot us on sight for this._

"_You stay away from that human, Joey. You've put us in enough danger as it is and in a pack made up of abandoned and orphaned wolves, I'd think you'd try harder to keep it safe, especially after what happened to you and your sister. This is unacceptable behavior."_

Joey frowned. _"What are ya sayin', Akai?"_

"_I'm __**saying,**__"_ the black wolf snarled, nipping sharply at his ear to get his point across. _"That if I find you anywhere near that human again, you will no longer be part of our pack. I __**certainly**__ won't let you near your sister. If you even come near us after I tell you to leave, I will attack you myself."_ Akai narrowed his eyes at him threateningly even as he watched the blond whine and sink onto his belly, tail curled up meekly between his legs. _"I rescued you and I love you, but if you put the rest of this pack in danger again, I will not tolerate that at all. __**Do you understand?**__"_

When the blond rolled onto his back and flashed the white hair on his belly in submission, he knew the message had gotten across. He hated that he had to be so cruel and harsh with his first pup, but the blond was recklessly endangering everyone, and he would _not_ put up with that. Especially not when some of the others were thinking about mating or having pups.

He leaned down to lick the blond's cheek and sighed. _"Why do you make me do this, Joey? This isn't how I want to treat you, but it's the only way you learn."_

Joey whined miserably. _"I don't knoooow."_

Akai sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, begging Mother Moon and her Lunaro and Lunara assistants for patience and understanding before looking back down at him. _"Come. Let's go back and show the others that you're not in __**too**__ much trouble."_

The younger wolf rolled onto his feet and whimpered miserably as he trudged along behind him. _"Yes, sir."_

Akai glanced down at him, frowning a little. He wanted to comfort the blond, but he didn't know how. So, he sighed, set his jaw, and led the way back to the rest of the pack.

"…_Akai?" _He hummed to show he was listening. Joey looked down at his paws. _"…What's a cur?"_

"…_Erm…"_ The black wolf frowned awkwardly. _"It's… a… dog. It's a dog."_

"…_Am I a cur because I'm half dog? Half cur?"_ The blond looked up at him so innocently with his big brown eyes that he felt badly for fibbing. _"Does that make Serenity a cur, too?"_

Akai groaned, head hanging as he tried to figure out how to delicately explain that 'cur' was not a nice word.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"_I got these berries this time. They look funny, and they taste funny, but maybe he'll like them,"_ Joey stated, walking into the den. He felt a twinge of guilt when he remembered what his alpha had said to him, but when he saw the brunet's eyes light up at the sight of the funny looking food he'd brought, he decided that _maaaaaybe_ this was okay.

Kisara stared. _"I bet you looked a fool when you were coming here. Just a silly little cur trotting around with a stick of berries in his mouth. Ha! You're adorable."_

The blond smiled bashfully and inched over to the human. Akai had told him that 'cur' wasn't a compliment (quite the opposite, really) but the white wolf said it with such affection that he just couldn't be hurt or get mad.

Seto licked his lips. He wasn't a fan of currants, but it was food. Food that was not raw meat. He was starving. Once the yellow wolf set the branch of berries in his lap, he reached out to touch his neck fur, then reached out and began picking the fruit off one by one so he could savor it longer.

Joey felt his heart flutter at the gentle touch and sat down beside him, hoping for another or even a little praise. He heard the white wolf snort at him but didn't care. He just wanted to be praised at least once in his life.

Kisara's ear twitched as she smiled in amusement. _"Careful. You might just drool."_ Her ear flicked again. _"Maybe he'll even leave food out for you. He hates being in debt, even to an animal."_ She paused and tilted her head. _"The only reason I stick around is because he thinks he owes me, and I like sleeping in the warm barn on cold nights."_

Joey's ears flew up as he heard something approaching and turned his head. _"Whazzat?"_

"_Perhaps they've finally decided to come look for us,"_ the white wolf mused. _"It only took them a week."_

Seto seemed to hear it too, even with his inferior human hearing. "I was wondering when Mokuba would send someone out looking for us. About time."

Joey frowned worriedly. _"Should I go?"_

"_Oh. I don't…"_ She whined quietly. _"…Perhaps you should. Just in case. They were still quite mad about that leg of lamb."_

The blond yipped and began to hurry to the entrance of the den, but then a human appeared there holding a gun. He shrank back and whined anxiously as another human joined him and called into the den. He heard Seto answer briefly but was too distracted by the glinting gun barrels.

His fear was apparently well-founded when one of the guns exploded and he felt a sharp, burning pain through his chest-side-shoulder—it hurt so much that he didn't know _where_ he hurt!

Kisara physically cringed as she heard the high-pitched, pained whine that ripped from the blond's throat and tried to struggle upward, snarling angrily in pain. _"GET OUT OF HERE! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THEY KILL YOU!"_

Joey didn't have to be told twice, especially when he heard Seto yelling too—probably about maybe putting him out of his misery. He ran. He ran so hard that he wasn't sure where he was going until he realized he was running home.

He _reeked_ of human. He couldn't go home like this. Akai would smell him and rip him apart. If he didn't smell the human on him, he'd see the wound and would immediately move the pack further from the humans, leaving him to struggle along after them. He had a significant limp and knew he wouldn't be able to keep up.

Joey came to a stop, legs trembling with terror and exhaustion. Where could he go? What could he do? He couldn't go back to his pack. Akai would hear about this eventually from some gossipy busybody and he'd be cast out for sure. And he couldn't go to the humans and hope that they might take pity on him, because clearly if he needed to be shot, he was a menace, and they'd just kill him anyway.

…He needed to leave. He needed to go away. He needed to stop bothering everyone with his weird, dangerous fantasy and just leave them in peace.

Joey whimpered again and licked his chest. He was bleeding a lot. He hoped he'd be okay.

He limped over to the nearest river and stepped into hit up to his chest, the cold water cutting into his open wounds like tiny needles. But as painful as it felt, it cleaned his wounds, hid his scent, and allowed him to walk with less pain. He walked downstream for several miles, helped by the pull of the water. He flinched when he thought he heard someone approaching the banks. Luckily he was only seen by a raccoon. Raccoons had little to do with anyone that was not also a raccoon.

Once he felt he was far enough away—nearly the edge of their pack's territory—he limped out of the water, shook himself off even though it hurt, and settled at the base of a tree, panting. He felt dizzy and sick. He just wanted to go home, go somewhere he would be cuddled and licked.

He remembered one time Ryou had been shot. It was an accident, as he'd startled a hunter while they'd both been hunting the same deer. The entire pack had huddled around him once he'd scampered back and had licked the wound and cuddled with him for hours. He wanted to be cuddled and licked.

But he smelled like human and Akai had warned him to stay away from them. He was so tired; he didn't even think he could lie about how it had happened. He was miserable.

He was lost.

Joey looked up at the sky, looked up at the full moon hanging heavy in the deep purple background. _"Mother Moon, I'm __**tired,**__"_ he whined. He received no answer, but the moon being there, seeming to watch over him, made him relax a little. Despite being anxious and distraught, he felt himself drifting off to sleep to the sound of a low howl in the distance.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Akai howled again, chest tight with worry. He'd called and called for the pack to come together—had had other wolves join him so their voices spread further through the air—but they were still missing one. They were still missing the one that probably needed companionship the most.

He'd sent out the others to look for him, but they hadn't found any evidence of him. All of the trails were several hours old or mussed up by some other stupid animals that didn't know what they were ruining. He continued to search on his own even after he sent the others to bed. He just wanted to find the stupid pup and bring him home, no matter what trouble he'd gotten into (even if it included humans).

When he trudged back into the clearing he'd left his pack in, he felt utterly defeated. He couldn't find his first pup.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Kisara grunted as she limped into the barn. _"Jeez. Stupid bear. Town!"_

The old, golden-brown wolf turned tired eyes on her. _"Yes, Kisara?"_

"_You don't let those idiots hurt that pup!"_ she snarled, hackles rising. She thought Seto was stupid for going out after the blond wolf so soon after having his leg set, but she'd been truthful; Seto didn't even like being in debt to a 'stupid animal.' She didn't even know how he was going to ride the brown horse that would be Allie's replacement, but she knew that she wasn't going, so she needed to ask the wolf that would.

"_I will let these humans do what they see fit. I trust our master's judgment."_ He paused. _"…And my name is Thousand."_

"_Well, the humans call you Town, and what the Cosmos kind of name is Thousand?"_ she snapped angrily.

"_We were of the oldest packs. My mother was named Centuria and my father—"_

"_Yeah, that's great,"_ Kisara cut in, rolling her eyes. _"Just… promise me that if he's not too hurt, you'll keep them from shooting him again."_

Town raised a furry brow. _"Strange. You weren't even this protective of your own pack."_

"_My own pack has since split up. We were all too proud and too mean to deal with each other."_ The white wolf's ears curled back for a moment. _"…There is something about that pup that was endearing. I couldn't help but like him, I guess."_

Town tilted his head and sighed. _"…I'll do my best, Kisara. We'll see what happens. I'm the best tracker in Seto's employ but if this pup was shot and is terrified of humans, it might be difficult to find him."_ He took in the desperate look in the female's eyes and looked away. _"Let's hope the injury is not too bad. I'd hate to come across the body of a pup that had only helped our master."_

Kisara whimpered at the thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey grunted as he heard someone calling his name. The voice was deeper than Seto's. Even deeper than Akai's. He wanted to answer, but he was just… so _tired._

"_Joseph, you wake up and answer your father this instant."_

Joey's eyes flew open immediately. _"Papa? Mama?"_ He lifted his head and whined. _"Mama!"_

The brown-furred wolf in front of him smiled, the tips of her fur a bright red that made her shimmer in the light. _"Hello, Joseph."_ She padded around him and settled behind him. _"You always did find trouble, Joey."_

Joey whined when he didn't feel the warm, comforting weight of his mother against him. _"This is a dream."_

The blond dog sat in front of him. _"No. The Lunara granted your mother permission to come see you."_

His mother _was_ somewhat see-through and sparkly, he admitted. His father, too, shined more than any normal wolf or dog would. _"What are ya doin' here?"_

The golden dog cleared his throat. _"We think it's time that you met your destiny."_

Joey stared.

His mother laughed. _"How cryptic. Dear, speak to him so he'll understand."_

The other male sighed and rolled his eyes. _"Alright. Joseph—"_

"_Call him Joey, dear. He's not in trouble."_

"_WOMAN LET ME TALK!"_ he roared, hackles rising. When she only smiled at him sweetly, he immediately deflated. _"Oh, I can never win."_ He sat up and cleared his throat. _"Jose— …Joey."_ He sighed. _"There are always two guardians of the forest born at a time. My sister died several years before I did, so I carried on alone. When your mother had you two, you were destined to become the guardians of the forest."_

Joey blinked. _"…Dad. You're a dog."_

"_A dog was the closest I could manage to get to your mother,"_ he replied, shrugging. _"She doesn't mind now. Do you, darling?"_

The brown wolf grinned.

Joey shuddered at the mental image he was given and knew it would take millions of years to forget it.

His father cleared his throat and turned his gaze away awkwardly. _"Yes. Well."_ He coughed. _"In any case. You won't survive in this condition, Joey."_ He turned his gaze back on his son and frowned. _"And your sister isn't ready for this responsibility yet. Neither of you were, really, but your injury has forced our paws. This is for the best. Just remember that when you next wake up."_

Joey tilted his head, but he felt something cool whispering over his wound and he saw that his mother's tongue was swiping over and through it. She wasn't helping him, but she was comforting him. He looked up at his father and frowned. _"I don't… understand, but… Okay. Thanks, Ma. –'nd thanks, Papa."_

The two wolves smiled. There was so much more they wanted to say, but the Lunara had only granted his mother permission to tell him what he needed to know and to comfort him. Now that he was calm and knew what was happening, she had to leave.

She waited for the blond to fall asleep before standing and looking at her mate. _"I'm sure you'll tell him all he needs to know in his dreams, sweetie."_ She leaned in to rub noses with him. _"Hurry back, though. I love seeing how jealous the Lunaro get that I'm with a silly dog and I love seeing how embarrassed the Lunara get when they see me with you and are jealous of __**me.**__"_

"_I'm quite a catch for a dog, aren't I?"_ he asked, pleased and smug. _"And I have the prettiest wolf as my mate."_

She laughed. _"Yes, dear. I'll see you soon." _She disappeared in a flash of sparkles.

He sighed and looked down at his son, then leaned down to lick his forehead gently. _"This should work out for the best, Joseph."_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto stared at the boy in front of him, tilting his head. "…Town, while this is certainly a very important discovery, I think you're getting old."

"_This boy reeks of the same scent as that wolf you've had me track through the river,"_ Town stated, sitting down. _"You shouldn't judge my nose when you can't even follow your own, Seto."_

Seto grit his teeth and slid from the horse's back despite his brother begging him to stay on. "Oh, shut up, Mokuba. I'm fine."

"Your leg is broken. That doesn't usually constitute as 'fine,'" the younger boy muttered, sliding from his horse's back as well. He knelt next to the blond and frowned, reaching out to touch his wouldn't shoulder. "Looks okay. Guess he spent time in the river too."

The brunet pulled his thick coat off and wrapped it around the naked boy, frowning. "Better take him home and have Doc come look at him. Who knows how long he's been here." He looked down at Town and frowned. "Perhaps it's time to make Town a house pet."

Town was not pleased at the prospect of being called a pet, but he had to admit that his joints were getting painful to deal with and sleeping inside and being taken care of would be nice after serving the brunet for several years after his pack had been slaughtered by some ignorant humans.

Mokuba smiled and pet the brown wolf happily. "Yeah. He's getting up there." He leaned down and whispered, "And maybe now he'll stop scolding me for giving you table scraps."

"I heard that and it is not likely," Seto stated firmly, limping over to his horse, then stared at it for a long moment. His lips firmed into a thin line.

"…Need some help up, Seto?" the younger boy asked cheerfully.

"…" The brunet clenched his jaw. "…I… No. No, I do not."

Mokuba smiled and placed his hands on his hips. "Okay."

Seto's eye twitched as his younger brother continued to smile at him. He stared at his horse for several minutes, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to do this.

"…I brought a stepstool," Mokuba supplied.

"Oh, shut up!" the brunet snapped, glaring at him. He looked back at his horse for a few minutes, then sighed. "…But… if you brought a stepstool, it would be a shame to just make the horse carry it for no reason."

The younger boy smiled. "That's an excellent point. Here, let me get it down."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey groaned quietly as he woke, shoulder-chest-collarbone throbbing to the beat of his heart. He blinked his eyes open slowly. "…Ngh…?"

The sky above him was… wooden. He saw long lengths of wood everywhere.

He blinked again, then gasped. Sometimes humans put creatures they thought were dead in wooden boxes. Maybe someone had found him and put him in a wooden box and now he was buried in the ground and he'd starve to death there!

Yelping loudly, he rolled onto his stomach and lurched from the bed. _"Shit!"_ He screeched as his front leg gave as soon as he landed on it, slamming his face into the wooden floor. _"Guh!"_

He whimpered and rolled onto his side, trembling with pain. _"Ow…!"_

"_You shouldn't move."_

Joey turned his head and blinked as he saw a golden-brown wolf curled up on a blanket in the corner of the room. _"Who are you?"_

"_My name is Thousand. The humans call me Town for some reason. You may call me that if you like."_ The wolf, his shiny coat tinged a slight gray with age, merely raised his brows. _"You're clearly not used to that body yet, child. You'd best lie back before you hurt yourself."_

"_Huh? New body-?"_ Joey blinked, then looked down at himself.

He gasped in terror when he saw hairless skin and bones bending the wrong way and _what was that oh Mother Moon what had happened to his body?_

He opened his mouth to scream, but then he remembered his father's voice, steadily informing him of what would happen and what he should do as he slept. He needed to calm down. He needed to learn how to speak like the humans did. He needed to _be human_ because his destiny was somehow intertwined with the brunet he'd been infatuated with.

He looked over at the wolf and frowned, whining quietly. _"Where am I, Town?"_

Town shrugged awkwardly. _"You're in my master's house. He's decided to take care of you. He assumes you're a slave that ran away from an abusive master. Perhaps that's best for now, until you can prove otherwise."_ He stared at the blond a moment before smiling. _"You have your father's strong chin, pup. I remember before he shifted into that silly little dog to be with your mother."_

Joey stared. _"…Um?"_

Town tilted his head and sighed. _"It appears you've woken the master. He was worried about you. –Me, too. Apparently I'm old and unreliable now."_

"_Eh? Whyzat?"_ Joey turned his head as the door opened and gasped softly as the brunet limped in with some sort of stick under his arm. He blanched. _"Gaaaah don't put me out of my miseryyyy!"_

Town stared. _"…Humans don't put other humans 'out of their misery.'"_

"_Oh. Yeah."_ The blond sat up and little and frowned, looking up at the taller man from under his bangs.

Seto blinked at him in surprise, then frowned. "Startled, hmm? Come on. Let's get you back in bed."

Joey whimpered as the brunet caught his uninjured arm and somehow dragged him back into bed. _"He's hurt and he can toss me around like a dead rabbit!"_

"_Well, Kisara did call you a scrawny little pup,"_ the wolf murmured thoughtfully.

Seto sat down on the bed and sighed. "We need to get some food into you. It's like holding a ragdoll." He reached out to trace his fingers over the bandaged wound on the blond's shoulder. "You feeling okay? Not in any pain?" He blinked as he saw the red spots on the blond's face already bruising, then chuckled a little. "I see you became acquainted with the floor. How is it doing?"

"_Oh Mother Moon, was I supposed to ask it?"_ Joey asked in terror.

The brunet frowned. "Is that some other language…?" He hissed in distaste. "Or did your master really make you communicate by barking and whimpering? What a disgusting human being. Don't worry. You're safe here."

The blond whined. _"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT."_

The two humans stared at each other for a while before Seto slowly stated, "My name is Seto Kaiba. Can you say Seto?"

Joey bit his bottom lip nervously, squeaking a little when he realized he actually could, then blushed awkwardly. His body was doing such strange things. How did humans put up with this?

"Seto? It's easy. Sssseeee-Toh."

His lupine mouth had _never _made a 'sss' sound. Maybe an 'eh.' Maybe an 'oh.' But _never_ a 'sss' and quite certainly not a 'T!' …Oh, well. It couldn't hurt to try, could it?

"AGHAH."

Seto stared at him, eyes wide in surprise as the blond's cheeks immediately flushed in embarrassment. "Wow. That was bad."

Joey whimpered and turned his face away quickly, humiliated. _"I knooow…!"_

Town heaved himself up from his blanket and huffed._ "That was fine. Imagine how __**I**__ would sound if I tried."_ He paused, then let out a bark that was more growl then growlph.

Seto turned to scowl at him. "Town, what the hell was that?"

"_Your name."_

Joey smiled a little, covering his mouth with his paw—er, hand. He held his hand out so he could look at it and tilted his head, moving his fingers one-by-one. He giggled as he watched them curl and bit his bottom lip again, then lifted his fingers to feel his square teeth. The pointy teeth that he had still seemed a lot sharper than Seto's did. He touched his lips and tilted his head as he pulled his bottom lip out lightly, flinching when he pulled too far. "Ngh!"

"Don't do that," Seto scolded, reaching up to grab his hand.

The blond blinked and pressed his palm against the other boy's, comparing his smaller hand curiously.

Seto tilted his head a little as he saw the intense stare the blond was giving their hands, then turned his attention to them. His palm was wider, fingers longer. His skin was paler than the blond's, too, but his nails were trimmed and clean, while the other boy's were long and had dirt under them. He wondered exactly how long the blond had been in the forest and what he'd been forced to do at his former master's home.

Joey blinked as the brunet tilted his hand so his fingers slid between his own. He watched the longer, paler fingers curl over his hand and followed suit, blushing a little.

The older boy pulled his hand to his chest and frowned in concern. "You're safe here, you know. I don't know where you've come from, and I don't know what you've been through, but we'll take care of you here. And maybe, when you're better, you can work. I'll pay you."

The blond ducked his head nervously. _"Uh. O…kay."_ He bit his bottom lip, then bobbed his head the way he'd seen humans do to agree with each other.

Seto smiled and lifted a hand to cup his cheek, then stood. "I'll go tell the cook you're awake and she'll make something for you—something easy on the stomach. –Oh, my other dog wanted in to see you." He didn't see the way the wolf and blond grimaced at the 'dog' comment. "Her name's Kisara, and she's cantankerous, but she's too hurt to try and bite you. Do you mind if I let her in?"

Joey stared. Did he bob up and down, or side to side? Did saying yes mean he minded and didn't want her in there, or yes, she could come in? He'd never faced this problem as a wolf. This wasn't a question that wolves asked.

Seto paused. "I'll just… let her in, and Town will protect you. Won't you, Town?"

Town huffed. _"As long as her legs are still broken, I suppose. If she was healthy, not a chance in Cosmos."_

As soon as Seto opened the door, Kisara limped in, so it was a good thing Joey wanted her there. Seto chuckled. "I'll be right back, probably with my brother, but definitely with some food. Sit tight."

Kisara rushed over to him as quickly as her set legs would let her and buried her nose in his navel. _"You smell like Joey. Town is right. You're the son of the forest guardian."_ She looked up at him reproachfully. _"You never told me that!"_

"_I didn't know!"_ Joey exclaimed, frowning. _"I didn't know until last night!"_

"_You've been here several days,"_ Town supplied.

"_Several days ago, then! Wait, several days?"_ The blond looked out the window in concern. _"Have they been callin' for me?"_ He flinched. _"Akai's gotta be so mad."_

Town and Kisara glanced at each other. They knew Akai wasn't angry. He was desperate to find his missing pup and he called for him every night. His desperation had grown when he'd found the scene that reeked of human and lupine blood. Wild wolves had been seen coming up to the house and sniffing around before some warning shots had sent them running.

They would never get Joey back now, and they wouldn't understand why until Serenity was informed of her lineage and could explain it to them. Joey had lost his family and his family had just lost a loving, loyal brother, despite how he'd be protecting the forest once he assimilated to his human body and controlled his powers.

"…ah…ko…" Joey frowned and touched his lips nervously. "Ka. Kah. Bah. Kahbah." He laughed in surprise. _"Hey, I said it!"_

"_More of an 'I' sound. Like YAI like when you stub your toes,"_ Town corrected.

"Kahbai?"

Kisara laughed. _"No, the other way."_

"…Kaibah. Kaiba!" Joey smiled. "Kaiba!"

His smile immediately faded as he heard a howl in the distance. He turned to the window and pressed his hand against the cool glass. _"Akai."_ He leaned his head against the glass and whined. _"Has he been callin' for me a long time?"_

Kisara and Town traded glances before the older wolf nodded sagely. _"Since the night you were originally injured. We'd go out to tell your family, but Seto believes I'm infirm and Kisara's too injured."_

Joey felt tears forming in his eyes and whined. _"Akai-! Serenity…!"_

The two wolves glanced at each other again. It appeared that the gravity of the situation was just now settling on the blond and he realized that he'd never be at home with the creatures he grew up with again. The wolf that had raised him, the wolves that had been his siblings, they were all lost to him now that he had a human form. Even if they understood that he was Joey and all that had changed was his body, they'd still be leery of him.

Seto walked back into the room to possibly find out whether chicken would be okay and momentarily speechless when he saw the blond was crying. He limped over to the bed and sat down, quickly cupping the blond's cheeks and brushing his tears away quickly. "Hey, hey. It's okay. You'll be okay. You don't have to go back there."

Joey just cried harder, even though he knew Seto didn't understand. He was telling him that he didn't have to go home.

He didn't know that even if Joey wanted to go home, now he couldn't.


	13. Crime

Author's Note: I'm taking another crack at this story line from the _100 Theme Challenge_. **;3** We'll see how it turns out! If part of it seems familiar, it's because _it is._

* * *

><p><span>Crime<span>

Joey growled in annoyance as he was led into the fancy foyer of the fancy mansion that he really didn't want to be in. But, Kaiba was under house arrest until the trial was over and he'd wanted to see him, for some reason. He didn't understand what the big deal was. Kaiba wasn't going anywhere as long as his brother was still there, and Mokuba's passport had been confiscated along with his brother's, so there was really no need for house arrest.

As soon as the maid showed him where to sit, he snarled, "What the fuck do ya want, ya prick?"

The maid gasped and paled and turned to look at her employer in horror. "Mr. Kaiba—"

"That's actually a lot better than I expected," Seto replied, tilting his head a little. "No 'bastards' or 'dumbfucks.' I'm almost disappointed."

"The longer ya keep me here the louder and meaner I'm gonna get," the blond replied sourly. "The fuck ya want?"

"…Maria, tea," Seto stated after a moment. "And send Roland and Mokuba in while you're at it."

She bowed, then scurried out of the room in terror.

Seto frowned. "You didn't have to scare her, mutt."

Joey sat down slowly and huffed. "Fuck you, I'll say and do what I want, moneybags."

"…I see. Well, I'd like to propose a business transaction with you, mutt, and—"

"I ain't dressin' in no dog suit, Kaib'."

The brunet stared. "…That wasn't what I was—"

"Listen, I'm in a bad mood already because I'm usually _in bed_ at midnight and unlike _some people_ I work two jobs and if that ain't bad enough, some spoiled prick asks me t' come see 'im after I work instead of goin' t' bed! I'm not in a good mood asshole, and I didn't appreciate wading through fuckin' paparazzi t' get up here, so fuck you and your mother but get to the point!" Joey snapped, just as Mokuba and Roland stepped into the room.

Mokuba hesitated before smiling brightly and bouncing over to sit by his brother. "Hi, Joey!"

Joey knew that anything that came out of his mouth at this point would be angry and mean, and his smile would come out as a grimace or a sneer, so he merely nodded and said nothing.

Roland, tasked by Maria to bring out the tea because she was so terrified, set the tray down on the table and began pouring it into fragile porcelain cups for his employers and the blond guest.

Seto stared at him, baffled as to why his head of security was pouring them tea, then looked at Joey, who was still fuming. He supposed Roland would better deal with Joey than the skittish Maria. He wasn't sure about Joey's policies on hitting girls, but he knew Roland could take a punch.

By the dark expression on the blond's face after he took his cup of tea, he didn't look any happier at the refreshments, even though he could eat and drink to beat the band.

"If ya don't get straight t' the point while I'm drinkin' this tea, I'm gonna pour the entire pot on your head," Joey stated firmly.

Seto glanced at Roland. Roland was tense and ready to defend him, of course, but somehow he didn't think that his bodyguard would be able to hold Joey off for long, especially when the blond was legitimately angry.

"…I'd like you to watch Mokuba until this trial is over."

Joey looked surprised for a moment, maybe even flattered. He smiled. "No!"

Mokuba had to muffle a giggle at the flabbergasted expressions on his brother's and bodyguard's faces.

The blond's smile immediately faded. "Listen Kaib', I understand ya want your brother outta the public eye, but I can't afford t' watch Mokuba. I've done my best t' hide my money problems from my friends but I _know_ I couldn't hide 'em from you. I can barely afford my rent and food and I know if I took Mokuba one of us would hafta skip a few meals a week and ya definitely wouldn't let it be him. 'sides, I won't be home until late. Not t' mention the part o' town I live in. I mean, come on. Ya really want Mokuba t' walk through that alone?"

Seto scowled. "You think I wouldn't pay you to take care of Mokuba like any other babysitter?"

Mokuba scowled. "Hey! I'm not a baby!"

"I am willing to offer you one hundred dollars a day plus any expenses he causes like damaging property or annoying your landlord. I never intended for you to do this for free. Besides, Roland will be there," he added, motioning to older man.

Roland was surprised, but his expression only showed it for a fraction of a second—just long enough for Joey to see it, as he was used to noticing slight differences on the streets.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "…I don't think my landlady would like that. It's a one-bedroom apartment. Two people at the most."

Seto shrugged. "Mokuba's only a half a person right now."

"_Hey!_" the younger boy exclaimed angrily.

Joey tilted his head skeptically. "So ya want me t' take care of Mokuba and your bodyguard for however long this takes at a hundred dollars a day?"

"I suppose you'll want money for Roland being there, too. Two hundred a day then."

"Sir, that's not what he meant," Roland stated when he saw that the blond was too stunned and appalled to answer him. "He meant that it's going to be a lot of money if this is a long trial."

"If you figure in all twenty-four hours of the day, that's only four dollars an hour. By doubling it to two hundred plus expenses, he's at least making minimum wage," the brunet reasoned.

Joey couldn't figure out how to tell him his reasoning was stupid without blowing up and breaking everything in the room. He calmed himself down by remembering that Seto was clearly lacking in social skills and kind of stupid when it came to interacting with others when he wasn't insulting them.

Seto looked at the blond and raised an eyebrow. "Will that be an acceptable arrangement? I can have a contract drawn up that you could look over and sign. Roland and Mokuba can sign as witnesses and even if they don't, Mokuba will pester me to pay you anyway—"

"I haven't said yes," Joey cut in, voice decidedly icy.

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "With the money I'm offering you, you could quit one of your jobs."

"One of 'em's seasonal so it's not gonna last long anyway," the younger man ground out. "What I'm sayin' is, I don't wanna be responsible for this. You got yourself into this mess, so get yourself back the fuck out!"

"…I…" Seto frowned for a moment before schooling his face back into a neutral expression. "I am perfectly willing to get myself out of this mess. I just don't want Mokuba to suffer for it. I've already pulled him out of school and gotten him enrolled in online classes because his classmates have made school a living hell for him, and the teachers are no help. He can't go outside without people giving him dirty looks. If he were elsewhere, he wouldn't have to deal with that."

Joey sighed and rolled his eyes angrily. When he said it like that, he couldn't say no, because he'd be the bad guy. "I don't have internet where I live."

"Part of expenses. I'll have internet installed through your cable."

"I don't have cable." When the brunet merely stared at him, he added, "I don't even own a TV."

"…Do you have a phone?"

"A cell phone."

Seto frowned, absolutely baffled. "How do you spend your free time?"

"With two jobs, I _don't _have free time. When I do, I spend it sleepin'."

Roland glanced between the two young men, then sighed. "Mr. Kaiba, perhaps you should go to bed while they reach an accord. It's half-past midnight, after all."

Seto huffed. "I'm not tired and I am perfectly capable of handling this matter myself."

Mokuba and Roland stared at him for a few minutes. Mokuba thought about telling him that Roland wasn't talking to him, but decided that he should just go to bed. He hugged his brother goodnight before going up to his room.

Joey sighed through his nose. "You're an idiot, Kaiba. How have ya lived this long?"

"…What?"

"There are two Kaibas. I think Roland knows you'll go t' bed whenever the fuck ya want."

Seto stared at him for a moment before it suddenly clicked that Roland wasn't suggesting that _he_ go to bed, but his brother. Joey didn't know that he'd been staying up until early morning, communicating with his lawyers and trying to figure out a defense that wouldn't result in ruining both his and Mokuba's lives. He _had_ slept with the woman accusing him of rape, and no matter how much he argued that it was consensual, people were still siding with her.

He was exhausted. He wanted to sleep, but he didn't want to give up yet. He just didn't know what else to do.

Joey seemed to sense that, because he leaned back in his seat and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Oh, God, Kaiba. Fine. But if they get into trouble while they're outside my apartment, it's not my problem unless I'm the one takin' 'em out."

Seto nodded. "That's understandable."

"And we need t' get them some street clothes. None of this fancy shit. People on my side of town can tell designer clothes. Just because Mokuba wears striped shirts and jeans doesn't mean that they can't see how much they cost. And jeez, ya can't wear a suit," the blond moaned. "They'll eat ya alive." He huffed. "'sides, if you're gonna be my uncle, ya gotta look poor."

Roland blinked in surprised, unable to help asking, "Your uncle?"

"Listen, my landlady is against violence toward women. She hates Kaiba right now," Joey sighed, grimacing. "So she can't know it's you. Besides, I gotta have a decent excuse t' move ya in." He scratched the back of his head and sighed again. "So. You're divorced and have custody of Mokuba. Mokuba just thinks you're visitin' me for a while. What he don't know is that your alimony is costin' so much that ya can't afford rent. You'll pitch in money where ya can for any added rent I'll have, but you're just as poor as I am."

Seto nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense. And his employer is paying for internet to be installed because he's a computer programmer and can work from home. –Roland, I know that the only thing you can do on a computer is play solitaire and use email. This is just part of the story."

"…I can surf the World Wide Web, too," the older man muttered, disgruntled.

Seto covered his mouth to hide a smile. "Oh? And what do you surf for on the World Wide Web?"

"Mostly murder cases and background checks on your coworkers."

"…Oh."

"You know I used to be a police officer before I started working for your step-father."

"…I did not."

Joey smiled a little and leaned back in his chair, pleased to find it was a recliner. He pulled a throw pillow under his head and sighed.

He was out within minutes. When he woke up, he was pleasantly surprised to find a thick blanket covering him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba looked around the tiny apartment and tried to smile. It appeared as a grimace. "How… nice."

"It's clean and it's somewhere to stay when there's too much heat outside," Joey replied shortly. He hadn't been pleased to spend his morning off shopping with Mokuba. Roland didn't mind too much and let Joey pick out his clothes, but Mokuba had an opinion on everything and then he hadn't picked up the clothes he'd tried on after he stepped out of the fitting room.

Roland had actually admired the way the blond had matter-of-factly informed the younger boy how he was being a prick just like his brother and that the people working in _this_ retail store did not work on commission and their job was not to cater to him alone. The employees of the store would like him a lot more if he at least folded or hung up his clothes.

Mokuba didn't understand what making the employees happy had to do with anything, but one venomous look from the blond made him decide that he really did take too much after Seto when he went shopping if he didn't care if other people were happy with him or not.

The landlady had been skeptical, but Mokuba had been blissfully unaware of the fact that the story was that he was homeless, so the two men had been able to convince her to keep it a secret as well.

The highlight of the day, though, had been when his landlady had heard that Roland was 'divorced' and had casually asked when he'd be ready to date again. Roland had looked suitably uncomfortable, coughed, had muttered something about alimony, and fled.

His landlady told Joey that Roland was cute and if he ever needed someone to 'comfort' him, she was free.

Ha, she was a funny lady.

Mokuba opened his laptop and connected to the internet Seto had had installed while they'd been shopping. "Thanks for letting us stay with you, Joey. I know you didn't really want us to. Sorry."

"Oh, fuck it. You're here now." Joey flopped onto his couch and sighed. "I got food in the fridge and boxes full of books from well-meanin' friends who think I like t' _read._ Help yourselves. …'specially t' the books. Psh. Books." He rolled onto his stomach and frowned. "…I guess some of 'em were okay, though."

"Jeez, the way you were saying that, I thought you'd never read any of them," Mokuba muttered. He yelped as the blond grabbed a plastic coaster and pegged him in the head without even looking at him. "_Gah!_ Joey!"

"Remember, if ya go out without me, I'm not responsible for what the fuck happens t' ya," he reminded, then began to doze.

Roland sat down in a rather lumpy recliner and would have grimaced if he hadn't been so well-trained. "Would you mind purchasing a newspaper then?"

"Ugh. Fine. Fuckin' newspapers. The only thing it reports is _bad_ news," the blond grumbled, hiding his head under a ratty pillow.

An hour later, he was getting ready to go to work. When he returned after an exhausting day, he was surprised to find a plate of food in the fridge for him. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad arrangement after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey glared at the face of the brunet staring back at him. Of course Roland was keeping up on the older Kaiba's trial as it went on. And of course the article spanned several pages. Typical. Just typical.

The bastard wasn't here and he had to look at his stupid mug.

After a moment, he leaned his head on his hand and sighed, scowling at the mug shot of the brunet as he tapped the table in thought. The headline was alarming, to say the least. He turned to look over at Mokuba, who was staring into his cup of coffee and hiccupping quietly as he struggled to do his homework. Turning back to the newspaper, he sighed and read the headline again.

_**Kaiba Rape Trial Continues—**__More scandals arise as the case goes on_

Joey hated to think he knew the brunet enough to figure out how his stupid head worked, but he didn't think of Kaiba as the type to rape someone. Even if he did rape someone, he'd probably pay them off and have them sign some stupid contract so that if the person made trouble, _he_ could sue _them._ There were certain characteristics the CEO had and carelessness was not one of them. If Kaiba was fighting this in court, Joey was almost completely certain that the brunet hadn't done it.

He stared hard at the picture of the victim, wondering where he'd seen her face before. She looked very elegant, if not a bit haunted. Perhaps he'd seen her in a tabloid while he was waiting to check out at the grocery store. Somehow, though, that didn't fit. He'd seen her elsewhere; he just… couldn't put his finger on it.

"She's not even that good-looking," Mokuba muttered viciously, running a hand through his hair. "You'd think if he had sex with someone, he'd at least pick someone moderately attractive."

Joey glanced back over at him, then turned back to the picture. "Maybe she's more attractive wearin' make-up."

"I just don't understand why Seto would mess around with such a skanky whore!" the younger boy exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes in anger.

"Jeez, kid, calm the fuck down," Joey snapped, glaring so hard at the woman's face that he was surprised he didn't burn a hole through the paper and into Roland's skull. He stared at it for a moment before he remembered what Mokuba had said. "…A skanky whore…"

He hesitated a moment, but remembering that he'd been the one to buy the paper (despite Kaiba's promise to reimburse him), he yanked the paper out of the older man's hands and slammed the paper onto the table. He reached over to grab a pencil and scribbled over the woman's eyes and lips.

Roland blinked. "I know we're putting you out, but that's no reason to attack a newspaper, sir."

"Oh, shut the fuck up," Joey snarled, then slammed his hands down on the table and glared at the picture again. After a moment, he slapped the table with his hands again and roared. "THAT. GOOD-FOR-NOTHING. CUNT."

Roland and Mokuba physically recoiled.

Mokuba turned to watch him stomp to the door, frowning. "What-?"

"Listen, call your stupid brother and tell 'im I'm comin' over." Joey pulled on his jacket. "He's out of court now, right?"

The younger boy blinked. "Uh… Yeah, I think so. Why-?"

"Call your brother and tell him that I know somethin' that'll help his case. –Tell him I think I know what's goin' on now-!" the blond demanded, scowling, as he pulled on his shoes. "Fuck this."

"But Joey, what—" Mokuba began, but then the older boy stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door shut. He turned to look at Roland.

Roland looked too shell-shocked to act for the moment (it was understandable, because even though Roland could deal with criminals or threats to him and his brother, no one could be expected to handle Joey), so he pulled out his cell phone and called his brother.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there-!"

Seto looked up as his door slammed open and sighed. "Today's standards would require that you wait outside until I tell my maids that you may come in."

Joey turned toward the small woman and hissed, unable to help the small feeling of glee as Maria flinched backward in horror, then slammed the doors shut just as violently as he'd opened them. Turning back to the brunet, he stalked over to the desk and slammed the paper down on top of it, scowling. "I don't know what the hell's goin' on, Kaiba, but I never woulda thought ya were this _cheap!_"

Seto's mouth opened, but nothing came out. He was simply too shocked and confused to respond.

Joey continued, "What's the matter? Did she up the price after ya finished? Did ya just stiff her? What reason would she have t' cry rape if ya paid her?"

"…_What are you talking about?_" the brunet growled.

"Uminako Yuri is a _hooker!_" the ex-thug roared.

Seto stared at him for a moment, then stood, expression darkening. "What did you just say?"

"Uminako Yuri is a hooker!" the younger boy repeated, scowling. "I watched her case the same territory my gang used t' run in and I've seen her walk off with tons of Johns! Did ya stiff her or somethin', Kaiba?"

"It wasn't like that!" the brunet snapped, scowling. "She just wanted sex! I wore a condom! It was consensual! She didn't say she was a hooker and she didn't ask for any payment!"

Joey blinked at him for a moment, stunned, then frowned. "…You… she didn't… She always asked for half upfront and half afterward," he muttered thoughtfully. "I haven't seen her around lately, either, and I never see her daughter anymore. Somethin's up."

"…Would you be willing to testify to that on a witness stand?" Seto asked after a moment.

Joey glanced up at him sharply. "My word against hers? And what good would that do ya, idiot? I'm a former thug. What is my testimony gonna do for ya?"

"An ex-thug's word against a hooker's? I have no idea. But it would be better than being hammered by the prosecutor." Seto sighed and sat down, frowning. "I need to be found not guilty, Joey. I need to get through this. My company is suffering for this and if I go to jail, I don't want Mokuba inheriting a mess. Please. Anything would help."

The blond frowned. "…You called me Joey."

Seto blinked. "…Yes."

"…And ya said _please._"

He frowned in annoyance. "_Yes._"

"…What if they start askin' me about your character? I'm not gonna lie. Everyone knows you're an asshole," Joey stated.

Seto scowled. "I don't know whether I should say 'thank you' or 'fuck you,' Wheeler."

Joey huffed. "Isn't fuckin' what got ya in trouble in the first place!"

"On second thought, I don't want you anywhere near the witness stand," the brunet sighed, leaning his head in his hand. "You'll bury me."

The younger boy glared at him. "Oh, shut up, Kaiba. I just wanted t' come tell ya your victim's a hooker."

Seto covered his face in frustration. "Go away."

"Fine, I don't like ya anyway," Joey spat, turning to go.

"—Shit, wait, talk to my lawyer. He'll figure something out." The brunet sighed again. "I can't tell if this is a godsend or a curse."

"…Both," the blond muttered, glaring at him.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Mr. Wheeler, are you aware that you're in a courtroom?" the judge asked, obviously disgruntled.

If Seto had less self-control, he'd be on trial for murder rather than rape; when he'd seen Joey walk in wearing jeans and a ratty jacket, he'd almost leapt over the table to throttle him.

Joey looked up at the judge sourly. "I've been in my share of courtrooms, Judge. I'm pretty sure I can tell when I'm in one."

"Then explain your unprofessional attire!"

The blond glared daggers at him. "If I had the money t' spend on better lookin' clothes, don't ya think I woulda done it?"

The judge seemed to consider this, then nodded. "I see your point. Alright. Proceed."

Joey rolled his eyes but turned to look at the brunet's lawyers, one of whom was standing to begin questioning him. Despite Kaiba's cool mask, he could tell that the brunet still wasn't sure whether this was going to help or not.

"Mr. Wheeler—" Joey gave the man a venomous look. He was missing work. Kaiba better pay him extra for this. "You went to school with the defendant, did you not?"

"Yeah."

The attorney appeared surprised by his prompt and to-the-point answer. The blond had no idea why he should. "I see. And, was he a good student?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm certain the teachers had different opinions of him," Joey replied.

Seto rolled his eyes. Technically, he was a teacher's worst nightmare to have in class. His other lawyer leaned over and whispered that his senior knew what he was doing.

"…Alright." The attorney cleared his throat, then asked, "Do you feel Mr. Kaiba was easy to work with, then?"

The prosecuting attorney stood. "Your honor, with all due respect, this is a trial, not afternoon tea. If he means for Mr. Wheeler to be a character witness, I can bring in dozens of people that can refute whatever statements this boy will make."

Joey bristled at being called a boy.

Seto's attorney turned to the judge. "Your honor, this boy is _certainly _not a character witness." He turned back to the blond. "Mr. Wheeler, how do you feel about Mr. Kaiba?"

Joey looked up at him and stated, "He's an asshole of the highest order."

The judge had to rap his gavel to silence the giggles and chuckles in the courtroom. Even the accuser, whose face had been wan and tired, smiled a little. Seto, to his credit, merely raised an eyebrow.

The prosecuting attorney coughed and sat back down.

Seto's attorney cleared his throat and covered his mouth to hide a smile. He turned back to the blond. "Mr. Wheeler, do you recognize the woman claiming that she's been raped?"

Joey turned his sharp gaze on the woman. The tiny smile disappeared. Her eyes flew wide, as if only just recognizing him. Joey figured she probably didn't until she had to actually look at him. He'd never slept with her, but he had buddies who did when he was in the gang. He nodded shortly. "Yeah."

The prosecuting attorney stood. "Your honor, everyone that's seen a newspaper or turned on the television can probably recognize Ms. Uminako!"

"And where do you recognize Ms. Uminako from, Mr. Wheeler?"

Joey saw her pale even further, the blush on her cheekbones standing out like bright siren lights. He scowled. "She's a hooker that used t' case my neighborhood when I was in a gang. She has a three-year-old daughter and they both went missin' a few days before this shit blew up."

There was silence for several moments before the courtroom went into full uproar. The judge beat the gavel for silence even as several reporters rushed out of the room to make sure their papers were the first to get the scoop. Yuri Uminako covered her face and began to sob.

Joey and Seto leaned back in their seats and enjoyed the chaos.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, one of our competitors hired her to seduce you so she could claim rape?" Mokuba asked around a mouthful of food. "So that your public image would be ruined and people would rather buy from him than you?"

Seto shrugged. "It appears that way."

"What's gonna happen to her now then?"

"The child will go to her father while Uminako serves her sentence for falsely accusing me of rape. I guess they got the condom out of the trash I threw it in outside to make it seem like _I_ raped her." Seto watched Joey pack away two sandwiches and reach for another. "…Maria, inform the chef we need more sandwiches. Hurry. He might go after mine next."

Maria scampered away to do as he'd ordered. She returned with several more sandwiches and a big bag filled with even _more_ sandwiches so Joey could take them home.

The chef had nearly cried with relief that he finally had someone to make food for. Seto didn't eat as much as he should and with Mokuba gone he'd spent his days polishing silver and he'd rearranged the pots and pans three times. The dishes sparkled after several hand washes. He wanted to make sure his food was so good that Joey might even insist on coming back for more.

Roland entered the room with a notebook containing a list of all of the expenses that had accrued over their three week stay in Joey's apartment. Including groceries, newspapers, the cost of internet plus installation, and renting movies to watch on Mokuba's computer, and the two hundred a day agreement, it came to almost forty-eight hundred dollars.

He'd round up to five thousand and pad the list if Joey asked about it. After his help uncovering the plot to ruin his name and his company, he figured a reward might be in order.

"Hey, Kaib'? Shouldn't I get some sorta reward for this?"

Seto blinked. Mokuba and Roland did too. Joey was never the type to ask for a reward. Heart of gold, did his best to help other people, never expected anything but a favor in return when he needed it.

"I'd really appreciate it if you'd cancel that internet. I can't keep up on it and I don't have a computer so it's useless."

"…That hardly seems like a reward," Seto deadpanned. He didn't mention that he'd been thinking about offering him an older laptop they didn't use anymore so he could keep in touch with his sister, after Mokuba told him that Joey had borrowed his to email her. He figured that would just end badly.

Joey shrugged. "Maybe not t' you. Anyway, thanks for lunch. I gotta get goin'. I'll see ya later, I guess." He looked at the bag of sandwiches in surprise as Maria shyly offered it to him. "Oh, are these for me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, thanks. Sorry I was so rude t' ya. I've just been in a really grumpy mood lately. You can hit me the next time I'm mean t' ya."

She blushed and looked at her employers for help. Roland led her away to explain why he'd said that and why he didn't care if he was hit. Not that she'd hurt him if she did, of course. She was as meek as a mouse.

Seto stood to walk him to the door. Pausing in the doorway, he frowned. "…Wheeler, did you ever think I was guilty? Is that why you were so against helping me get Mokuba out of the way?"

"I didn't wanna watch Mokuba 'cause I didn't have enough money to and I'm always tired. I didn't wanna take care of anyone when I'm permanently grumpy as soon as I get off work. Ya probably noticed I wasn't as… nice as I usually am t' Mokuba."

The brunet nodded slightly. He remembered that, but he'd figured it was because he was upset to be in his presence. "But did you think I was guilty?"

Joey looked up at him and tilted his head. They simply looked at each other for a while, silent but comfortable in that silence. Finally, the corner of Joey's mouth twitched up into an awkward smile. "No, Kaiba. I never thought ya were guilty."

Seto began to lean down, hesitated, then lifted a hand to cup the blond's cheek. He watched the blond's lips part in surprise and leaned down the rest of the way to capture his lips with his own.

Joey blinked as the brunet pulled away, then smiled. "Careful, Kaiba. I may just seduce ya, and we see how bad that turned out last time."

"You wouldn't make trouble for me," Seto replied.

He paused. It had been something that slipped out before his brain could decide whether or not to actually say it. After thinking about it, he realized that it was true, especially when the blond smiled up at him.

"Well. I better get goin'. I'll see ya when I see ya."

"Would you like to see me tomorrow?"

Joey turned to look up at him in surprise, then smiled again and lifted his bag. "Maybe the day after that. Gotta eat these awesome sandwiches."

Seto tilted his head. "For dinner the day after tomorrow then. What time do you get off?"

"Anytime ya feel brave enough," the blond replied, smirking before turning to walk away. "Mokuba's got my number. Text me if ya want."

Seto watched him leave and blinked slowly. _'What time do you get off? Anytime I feel brave enough? What the hell-?'_ He stared at the door after he closed it, puzzled, before he suddenly realized what the joke had been. _'Oh, he made a sex joke. Typical.'_ He smiled a little because the joke had been clever.

Suddenly, the smile was gone in place of surprise and shock. _'__**Oh.**__ Did he just suggest us…?'_ He blushed a little at the suggestion.

Then, the small smile was back. He walked back into the dining room, sat down, and ate his sandwich. Mokuba blinked up at him, then smiled a little as well and looked back at his own food, deciding to say nothing about it.


	14. Western

Author's Note: In this story, the Cowboys and Indians are Humani and Draconians. Draconians are much closer to nature, like Native Americans are/were. Humani are closer to advanced technology.

Because it was either this, or putting Joey in a barmaid's dress. **;p**

* * *

><p><span>Western<span>

Joey grunted as his horse suddenly turned, scaly wings flaring wide as its nostrils flared. "Red, what the hell?"

Its ears twitched back and forth before its red eyes began to glow. _**Mate.**_

Joey blinked, then frowned. "Really? After seven years, ya finally find your mate, _and we're in the middle of Draconian territory?_"

The black horse snorted, the scales around its eye sockets glowing with the intensity of its eyes. _**Mate.**_

The blond rolled his eyes and sighed. He'd known this day would be coming. He'd learned from his father that a wild dragon-horse would bond with its Other Half and, when it sensed its mate, would go to it. Normally, the two people that were bonded with the horses would then mate with each other.

But he was only half Draconian, and he'd inherited Red after his father's death. If he was Red's bonded, Red had never expressed it. And with the way Red was chomping at his bit now, he sincerely doubted it.

Sighing again, Joey slid from his back and began unbuckling his saddle. "Alright, alright. Jeez, I hope that Humanoid settlement is close," he muttered, pulling his saddle from the horse's back.

To the dragon-horse's credit, it waited patiently for the blond to relieve it of his saddlebags, saddle blanket, and bridle. Once the bit was out of its mouth, though, it took off.

Joey slung the saddle and blanket over one shoulder and picked up the saddlebags and bridle with his other hand. "Damn. It figures."

Luckily, as half Draconian, he had much more stamina than Humani. He could probably make it to the Humani settlement in a couple of days. He'd pick up another horse there. After all, the more domesticated dragon-horses had had the need to mate bred out of them. He thought that was sort of sad, that they wouldn't be able to find their mates and would only mate blindly ask directed, but it would be easier for him to not worry about his horse running off to mate and leaving him alone because he wasn't their bonded person.

Still, Red had been his horse for seven years, and the family horse for several years before that. He'd miss him.

'_Damn, I need t' stop doin' this t' myself.'_ Joey rubbed his eyes tiredly.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Kisara, we should get going, otherwise we'll be late for AUGH." Seto jumped slightly, reaching for an arrow, then scowled when he realized that what he thought was a bear attacking his bonded horse was actually another dragon-horse.

The two horses stared at him for a moment before the black one unfurled its wings from its sides and covered their heads. It then continued humping his white horse.

Seto stomped his foot and roared angrily, his long tail lashing in outrage. "I can still see you and we're going to be late!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Several minutes later he was astride his white horse and very upset about the smug vibes she kept sending him. "Stop it, Kisara. You're pissing me off."

…_**Mate?**_

He felt a wave of hurt crash through their bond and flinched a little, hurriedly back-paddling, "I'm not saying that your mating pissed me off, I'm saying that the horse you mated with doesn't have a bonded for _me._"

It was only half true. He was mostly upset that they were late for the ceremony where his brother and his bonded dragon-horse were officially recognized as bonded. But he had to admit there was a little part of him that was upset that when he'd found his bonded dragon-horse mating with another, there hadn't been another person there for him.

_**Bonded left behind,**_ the black horse nickered, looking up at him with bright red eyes. _**Too slow.**_

Seto jerked his head to glare at him. "What sort of asshole leaves his bonded behind?"

The dragon-horse looked up at him, eyes suddenly dark and sad. _**Only half.**_

The brunet let loose such a long stretch of angry screeches and roars that when he finished, he panted. _'Like I need a fucking Humani to take care of! They wouldn't know how to take care of themselves if their lives actually fucking depended on it!'_ He gripped his hands into tight fists, knuckles going white as his sharp nails pierced his palms. _'Damn it.'_

In that moment, he realized he would have much rather had his bonded dragon-horse mate with an unbonded horse rather than one bonded with a stupid half-breed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto grumbled as he followed the black dragon-horse. What a shitty way to spend the days after his brother's official bonding ceremony. Searching for some stupid little half-breed. She was probably ugly. And weak. He didn't want to spend his days providing for some stupid bitch that would whine and complain about everything he did.

Kisara glanced at him and snorted quietly. _**Shh. Don't upset.**_

Seto thought about telling her that he didn't _care_ whether he was going to upset Red. He didn't want to come home every night and listen to some stupid girl bitch about how she wanted _beef_ not _venison_ and_ how could you eat a poor little deer_ and other bull shit that he was too busy and too short-tempered to listen to.

What sort of name was _Red_ for a venerable dragon-horse, anyway? It was clearly Humani. Their naming skills were so simple and stupid. And their names were harsh on the tongue. Nothing smooth like _Kisara _or _Mokuba_ or _Seto._ Just… fucking _Red._ Ugh. Even the name made him angry.

Red snorted happily and trotted toward the river, ears flipping up and down. He paused behind some brush, peeking over it and nickering quietly when he saw his bonded. _**There.**_

Seto grumbled when he realized that the brush was too tall for him to see over. He swung up onto Kisara's back and pushed her ears flat against her horns so he could see over her head.

He nearly choked when he saw the black dragon-horse's bonded was bathing in the river. He turned to the black horse and hissed, "That's not a girl!"

The horse looked up at him balefully and stated, _**You assume.**_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey ducked his head under the cool water and came back up gasping. He'd gotten a few hot baths at the Humani settlement and he already missed them. Oh well. At least he was refreshed from it. He was sick of being gritty and sweaty and gross. The large brown dragon-horse he'd gotten wasn't the same as riding Red, and getting used to him had been tiring.

The brown dragon-horse nibbled salt-grasses nearby. He was too old to bolt unless in danger and Joey sincerely doubted that there were any bears or such nearby that would be a threat to them. He sighed and ducked under that water again, scrubbing at his dirty hair. When he surfaced again, he shook his head to get some of the water out and pushed his hair back out of his eyes.

He shivered as the water sluiced down his spine and smiled, scooping up his cupped hands to splash his face. "Mmmm…" He licked a drop of water from the corner of his lips and sighed, smile fading a little. He looked at the brown dragon-horse again, feeling a pang for having to let go of his black steed, then shook his head again quickly to rid himself of the thought.

Joey splashed some water at the brown dragon-horse and laughed as it snorted at him in disgruntlement. "Oh, come on, Chifu. Learn to have some fun."

He jumped as he heard a loud, roar-like neigh and turned, blushing a little as he watched a familiar black dragon-horse leap through some bushes, red eyes narrowed in a glare as its ears swept back angrily. It neighed at the brown horse again, snorted a little smoke, then pawed the ground with a hoof, as if to charge it with its horns.

Chifu, to his credit, merely wandered further down the river without even a glance.

Red stood up straight, blinking, and wondered why the brown dragon-horse did not wish to fight over the blond. It never occurred to the black horse that the brown one was old and had long since lost his own bonded and mate, and was merely a companion until it passed away as well.

Joey stared, blinking at the black horse slowly. "I thought ya were matin' with someone." He blinked again as a white dragon-horse, three-pronged horns extending from behind its eyes rather from behind its ears, cautiously trotted out behind the his former steed. He smiled. "Aw, Red, she's gorgeous."

Following the white horse, however, was a Draconian wearing leather pants with beaded fringes. Joey stared at the scales around the brunet's eyes and around his knuckles, knowing a long, strong tail was probably extending from his spine behind him. He glanced frantically toward his own clothes, squeaking when he realized he'd never make it to his gun before the Draconian did.

He tilted his head, sharing the brunet's gaze for a minute, then turned and began rushing toward the other side of the river. "Nope, nope, nope, nope!"

Red let out a confused whinny and trotted into the water, hurriedly circling the blond human and unfurling its shiny wings to usher him back to the correct shore. _**No. Here.**_

"AGH get the fuck away from me go be happy with your mate I don't need this shit!" Joey snapped, trying to move around the black horse. "Jeez, ya already left me alone! Go away!"

Red nickered, hurt, then glared at him, ears twisting back against its skull.

Joey frowned. "…W-what's that look for?"

The brunet flinched as the black dragon-horse turned and slapped the blond out of the water with his powerful wing. He didn't know whether the half-breed could hear what Red was saying, but _he'd_ hurt it quite clearly.

_**LISTEN OR I STOMP YOU. **_

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto examined the blond across the fire from him and tilted his head. The half-breed only had a layer of real scales on his knuckles, the scales around his eyes few and sparse. His tail was also only half as long as Seto's gracefully tiered appendage.

But he was blond. Most Draconians had dark hair and pale skin. The half-breed across from him had light hair. He had to admit that naturally he preferred the looks of his own people, but this half-breed was becoming, especially when he set his silly hat to the side so his hair could dry. He wasn't sure about the shirt, though. It just seemed silly.

He stood by his opinion that Humani naming skills were stupid when the blond asked him if he had a problem with plaid. Really? _Plaid?_

Joey looked up from the bowl of rice and beans he'd been eating and frowned. "Why ya lookin' at me like that?"

And he had the strangest accent. He could understand the Humani language quite well (he would often act as translator with Humani people and his chief), but the blond in front of him made him concentrate just a little harder to understand him.

"Do I got somethin' on my face?"

"…No, I was just… looking at you," Seto answered after a moment.

Joey tilted his head, then shrugged, turning to lift another bowl full of rice and beans for Chifu to eat. The brown horse could nibble grasses, but he was really much too old to eat anything that would take a lot of grinding. Beans and rice was just mushy enough for him to consume.

Red's wings ruffled jealously, but he could tell the brown horse was old and would only have a decade more to live, two at best, and Joey liked to take care of the elderly. He was momentarily soothed when his mate leaned over to gently lip at the scales around his throat.

Picking up on the black and white horses' slight envy, Seto commented, "…I see you wasted no time replacing Red."

"Red left me. I wasn't gonna slow him down when he finally found his mate," Joey muttered, frowning. "'sides, Chifu was gonna be slaughtered if I didn't get 'im outta there."

The brunet felt a pang of anger that the Humani would be so cruel, but he bit his tongue so that he didn't insult them. If the half-breed was supposed to be his mate, he didn't want to get on his bad side by insulting his heritage. "I see."

"Yeah. So he'll at least get t' live as he likes until the end."

Seto tilted his head as saw a clump of food stuck to the blond's cheek. Reaching out to clean it from his face, he paused, then licked it from his fingers himself. "What is this brown stuff?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

Joey frowned. "…Beans."

"No, the other stuff."

"Huh, the rice?" The blond smiled a little and fished out a few pieces of rice from his bowl that hadn't been stained brown by the beans yet. "No, the rice is white. The gravy from the beans makes it brown."

Seto frowned and reached out to grab the white rice, popping it into his mouth as well. "…It has no taste!"

"No, but it carries other flavors well, and it's cheap and filling." Joey shuffled around in one of his saddle bags. "Here, I'll make some more, and—"

"No, thank you," the brunet replied coolly. He would be the provider in their relationship. Even if there was no one there to see them, he would not allow the half-breed to provide anything for him.

"Come on. Ya know ya like it."

"I really do not need—"

"Lemme go get some water for the rice. Wait here."

Seto grunted in annoyance. Clearly, the blond wasn't going to make this easy. When another bowl of beans and rice was plopped in his hands, though, he merely took a spoon and began eating.

Joey smiled at him. "So, what were you guys doin' over here, anyway? When I took my saddle off of Red, it was before the Humani settlement. We're miles past that now."

The brunet huffed and looked up at him. "I was quite offended when my horse's mate did not have his bonded with him. I came to find you."

"Wha-? Don't be silly. I'm not his bonded. I just inherited him from my dad after he drank himself to death." The blond laughed a little. "Red probably just wandered back 'cause I treat him with meat and molasses when we stay in a town."

Seto glanced at the black dragon-horse. While the ebony horse did look a little embarrassed at being so spoiled, his eyes clearly conveyed that the blond either didn't know or was denying it because he didn't think he could be any dragon-horse's bonded.

Seto sighed through his nose. Well, at least the half-breed didn't immediately just _assume_ that he was good enough to bond. It was considered quite arrogant and rude to the Draconian people.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto! Where have you been? You left so soon after my bonding ceremony, and—" Mokuba blinked as the black and white dragon-horses wandering out of the forest behind him were immediately followed by an old, brown dragon-horse with a blond man thrown over its back, hands bound behind his back and ankles tied together and roped to the strap of the saddle. "…Um, Seto?"

"This is my bonded mate. His name's Joey. …He'll be staying tied up for a while," Seto replied, leading the brown horse over to their teepee.

The blond snarled around the gag in his mouth, eyes nearly glowing with fury. Seto merely took the hat from his saddlebag and placed it over his head so he couldn't glare at anyone and possibly offend them.

Once Chifu slowed to a stop beside the teepee, the brunet untied his ankles from the saddle and threw him over his shoulder to carry him inside. "I'll be back out for the saddlebag."

Joey squirmed wildly as he was placed against the pole in the middle of the teepee and snarled as the ropes around his wrists loosened only for a fraction of a second so he found them on either side of the pole. He yanked wildly and yelled angrily through the gag, but the brunet only removed the hat to pat him on the head. "GRHGH!"

Seto patted his head again. "You'll learn. Don't worry."

The blond snarled at him again, short tail trying to slice through the ropes, but they were too thick and his tail wasn't long enough to slice properly.

He jumped a little as the brunet's strong hand gripped his chin and jerked his head up, tensing as the Draconian's mouth mashed against his lips. He stopped struggling for a moment as the brunet's long tongue somehow slithered around the gag and wrapped around his own. "Mngh!"

Seto broke the kiss and stroked his cheek with his thumb gently, then smirked. "Yes, you'll learn. Slowly, but surely." When the blond jerked against the pole and tried to head-butt him, he purred, "I like a feisty partner."

Joey flushed and bit down on the gag in embarrassment, shrinking back against the pole as the brunet leered at him. He'd heard about Draconian braves taking Humani or half-breed mates and tying them up until they finally submitted. Apparently, that was happening to him. Seto wouldn't be mean or hit him or anything. He'd feed him and provide for him; he just wouldn't give him a chance to leave.

Oh, if only he'd gone for his gun a second faster once he'd realized what was going to happen!

He jerked frantically as the Draconian began unbuttoning his shirt, wincing as the brunet pulled a sharp knife from his belt. He flinched as he heard the fabric rip and tear as the knife slid through it, gasping as the brunet slid his hands over the scars and bruises on his torso. He'd gotten into a fight just after he'd bought Chifu and he'd barreled headlong into the forest, so he'd gotten more bruises there.

He mewled as the brunet leaned down to kiss a bruise on his side, flushing when the other boy looked up at him with glowing eyes before lunging upward to kiss him again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When Mokuba walked in for supper, the blond was a trembling but freshly-cleaned mess, eyes glazed over and lips swollen around the gag still in his mouth. He looked up at his brother, blinked, then smiled. "So he's going to be my brother-in-law then?"

Seto tilted his head and played with the blond's gun idly; he'd forgotten to take the belt off of him when he'd thrown him over Chifu, but he liked looking at it now that it wasn't a threat. Perhaps he could get the blond to teach him how to use it, so he could stop using a bow and arrows. "Perhaps. Until he comes to terms with it, he'll stay there. Don't untie him for any reason."

Joey saw him handling his gun and began screaming into his gag, tensing nervously.

The two Draconians turned to look at him in surprise.

They jerked as an explosion rang in their ears. They turned to look at the gun, then up at the ceiling of their teepee, where a hole was from the bullet that had gone through it.

Joey fainted. Whether from relief that it hadn't hurt anyone or terror that they'd all be killed accidentally, though, Seto couldn't tell. He hoped it was from relief.

Seto smiled awkwardly as his brother stared up at him in horror and carefully—_carefully—_slid the gun back into the blond's saddlebag. Then, he slinked outside to talk to the chief—his cousin—who would clearly want to know what was going on, especially with the gunshot and his disappearance after his brother's bonding ceremony.


	15. Friendship

Friendship

_**Why does Seto insist on giving flying lessons?**_ Akai asked, frowning. _**He doesn't even like people.**_

_**And this one's so… poor,**_ Kisara added, looking the blond over with clear disdain—well, clear for a dragon, anyway.

The black dragon looked at her in disapproval. _**Kisara.**_

She looked away petulantly. _**Well, he is. He's that farmer from town.**_

Akai rolled his eyes and sighed, unable to help hopping impatiently when the blond peered up at him and gave him a nervous but bashful smile. _**Ride me. Seto, let him ride me! He's so tiny and cute!**_

Kisara snorted in disgust. _**He doesn't trust you enough, idiot. And frankly, neither do I. You still dive to hunt when you get distracted.**_

The scales over the black dragon's wings tinted pink in embarrassment. _**Well, I guess that's true.**_

Kisara sighed angrily as the brunet showed his newest student how to settle behind her neck and use his legs to direct her. They circled the paddock a few times until he got the hang of it.

As the brunet climbed onto the black dragon, she gave him a jealous glower. He smiled awkwardly until the human kicked for him to leap into the air. She flapped after him, angrily wondering why the brunet never rode _her_ anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Um, I don't—Could I maybe ride the black one next time?" Joey asked, taking the cup of water the brunet offered him. His legs were too sore from the ride to stand for a while.

Seto sat down beside him. "No."

"Oh, uh, okay." The blond blushed in embarrassment, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

"I'm sorry. I just mean…" The older boy sighed and rolled his eyes toward the sky. "…Kisara is better behaved. She doesn't dive to hunt and her attention isn't easily drawn from her rider. Akai is still… green. He's dangerous to beginning riders, especially if he dove to hunt. He'd lose you on the way down."

"Oh." Joey tilted his head and frowned. "I guess I get that. Uh… Is it okay if I stay here a few minutes, 'til I get my legs back?"

Seto smiled a little. "Yes, I suppose that's alright." He leaned back beside him and looked up at the sky for a moment, then turned to look at him again. "Maybe you could teach me to ride, too."

"Huh? Oh, our 'corns are kind of ornery around new people, especially if they're not virgin, and—" Joey began mindlessly, ready to give the spiel he gave everyone wanting to learn to ride a unicorn.

"You're assuming I'm not a virgin then, Joey?"

Joey blushed brightly as he turned to look up at him. "Uh! I—What!"

"You said that unicorns are ornery around new people, especially if they're not virgin. You're assuming that I'm not a virgin, Joey?" the brunet purred, looking down at him.

The younger boy squeaked. "Um… Well, no, I—" He squeaked again in embarrassment.

Seto leaned over him. "I think that's exactly what you're assuming."

"Oh. Well, um, yeah. I guess so."

Seto thought about leaning down and kissing him, but the blond was a little daft and didn't understand that he wanted him, so he merely smiled. "I guess we'll just stick to dragons then."

"…Yeah." Joey smiled shyly. "Okay."

"If you need me to carry you back to your horse, I will."

"No, I think I'll be able to handle that myself," the blond laughed. "I'm not a freaking girl."

.-.-.-.-.-.

_**No, Seto, ride on **__me,_ Kisara complained, tail lashing angrily as the two humans approached her.

Joey flinched and took a step back. "Seto, I don't think she wants me t' ride her t'day."

Seto snorted. "No, she's just antsy. She always is after a thunderstorm."

"Um, no. I think she's mad at me. Ya know, I could just come back some other time—" he added, taking another step back.

"That really isn't necessary, Joey. She's just tense because of the thunderstorm a few days ago," the brunet explained calmly.

"I'm not gettin' on her!" Joey exclaimed in frustration. "I don't wanna and ya can't make me! Some other time if she's so edgy! Jeez!"

"…Fine." Seto crossed his arms and sighed in annoyance. "What do you suggest we do, then?"

Kisara rumbled angrily. _**You ditch him and ride me!**_

Akai came up beside her and scowled. _**Kisara, Joey is paying for Seto's services. And doesn't it say a lot that he can trust you to take care of new riders? I'd love to be trusted like that.**_

_**Well— **_she began, but couldn't fault his logic. Seto _did_ trust her to take care of everyone he taught, and as his most experienced and calmest dragon, she shouldn't take that responsibility lightly.

But he could at least take her out for a ride sometimes! She was _his_ dragon!

Sighing quietly, she ducked her head and let her tail fall limp. _**Oh, alright.**_

Seto turned to look at her in surprise, then smiled at the blond. "See, she's calm now. We can still go for a ride."

Joey looked up at the white dragon skeptically, but she did look more relaxed. So, sighing, he nodded and allowed the brunet to help him up. "Fine." He paused when he felt how tense she was. Clearly, she was upset about something, but he couldn't tell what.

As he watched Seto get on Akai's back, he figured that since the brunet didn't think it was a big deal, maybe he was reading into it too much because he was unused to her.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Akai watched the white dragon mope in her stable and frowned. _**Kisara…**_

_**He hasn't ridden me in weeks. And he hasn't had any other students! He just keeps bringing Joey and making me carry him! I want some time with Seto, too!**_she wailed angrily. _**He never spends time with me anymore!**_

The black dragon smiled awkwardly and reached out to place his claws on her shoulder. _**It'll be okay, Kisara. Eventually, Joey won't be able to pay, and we'll have Seto to ourselves again.**_

_**He hasn't properly ridden me in a month!**_ she roared. _**This isn't fair! That stupid little waif!**_

Akai scowled. _**Now listen, Kisara. I know you're angry, but you could at least rein it in while you're actually carrying Joey. I can smell the terror rolling off of him in waves when you start to get angry in the air. Calm down and stop acting like a child.**_

She snarled at him. _**I'll act like a child if I like!**_

The black dragon sighed angrily. She was so jealous and angry that she couldn't even see that the brunet was smitten with Joey. If she continued to frighten and unnerve him so that Joey didn't _want_ to come back, he could tell that it would upset their master.

Maybe so much so that he wouldn't _want_ to ride her anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Um…" Joey bit his bottom lip nervously.

Seto stared at the white dragon for several minutes, watching lightning crackle over her snout before he finally reached out and placed his hand on it. Before he could be shocked, the lightning was swallowed, and she looked up at him mournfully. "Kisara, what has gotten into you? You don't eat your beef, you mope around the stables, and now you're just being ornery."

_**I want you to ride **__me!_she whined. She twisted her tail to wrap around his waist and drag him toward her neck. _**Ride **__me__** this time!**_

Seto sighed and tilted his head, frowning, then turned to look at Akai. Akai had been getting better, almost to the point that he'd let someone else ride him, but when he looked back at Joey, he knew that Joey couldn't be that someone to ride Akai yet. He could almost _see _the fear rolling off of him as he stared at Kisara, and since he already knew that she was the better behaved one, he wouldn't be a confident rider on Akai.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "Um… maybe we can reschedule this ride for some other time?"

"Yeah," Joey answered quietly, trying not to look too disappointed. "Okay." He liked flying, even when Kisara was a little mean or snappish, but if Seto said it was best not to, he wasn't going to make any trouble. He sighed softly and turned to leave. Seto was always a little nicer after a flight, too…

"If you—" Seto began, then stopped awkwardly.

Joey turned to look back at him. "Huh?"

"…If you'd… like to go out for a drink later, I… I'll pay."

"Oh, um. I don't really like t' drink, and I usually hafta bring in the 'corns by myself, so… maybe some other time?" he asked hesitantly.

Seto smiled sadly. "Yeah… Some other time."

He watched the blond walk over to the silvery grey unicorn he'd ridden over and swung up into the saddle. When he waved as he began trotting away, the brunet waved back, then sighed and sagged back against the white dragon, frowning. "Damn." He leaned his head back to look up at the sky and muttered, "Get your sister and her lazy boyfriend to bring in the unicorns…"

Kisara nuzzled his side. _**If he's leaving, you can ride me. You won't even remember him agreeing to cancel this ride.**_

Akai rolled his eyes and walked back into the stable. _**I know you're my elder and I'm supposed to respect you, but you can be so selfish sometimes.**_

_**Oh, shut your mouth,**_ she growled, glaring at him.

Seto stood up straight from leaning against her and sighed again, patting her head gently. "Well, if you're that upset, Kisara, perhaps it's best I don't ride you."

The dragon's jaw dropped. _**What? No! Seto, I did this so you would ride me!**_

The brunet smiled weakly and stroked her horn, then turned to trudge back up to his large house.

Akai watched the white dragon's wings wilt to fall flat against the ground and frowned, feeling genuinely sorry for her. Then, her whole body went rigid, and she shot a burst of lightning straight into the ground so hard the house's expensive windows shook.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey used his arm to wipe some sweat from his brow and sighed, leaning on his ax to take a breather. He thought about putting on his shirt again, because the sun was beating on his back uncomfortably, but he decided he was too sweaty and filthy to put it on since he was just going to go back to chopping wood when he was finished catching his breath.

"You couldn't even get your friend to help you with _this_ simple task?"

Joey jumped and yelped, turning sharply. "—Seto!"

Seto took his jacket off and began pulling his shirt over his head. "Sometimes when I have a free moment, I go pester my cousin to the point he literally kicks me out. I figured I'd save him the trouble and come see what you do all day."

Joey blinked as the brunet placed his shirt on his jacket and grabbed his other ax. "Really? Ya came t' see me instead of your cousin?"

"Yes. I didn't really feel like having his boot on my ass anyway," the brunet replied, strolling over to stand beside him. "You know, if you could get your friend to help you—"

"—This would go much faster?" the younger boy sighed, frowning. "Yeah, I know, but he works so long at the pub every night, I hate t' bother him. He brings in most of the money for us."

"You'd make more money if you taught people to ride your unicorns," Seto pointed out, bringing the ax up above his head and then swinging it down to swiftly split a log.

"Yeah, but 'corns are so finicky."

The brunet hummed thoughtfully. "You could broaden your potion ingredient spectrum by adding unicorn hair to your inventory instead of just their horns." He paused, then smirked. "Joey, you said that unicorns prefer virgins. Does that mean _you're_ a virgin?"

"Wouldn't you like t' know," the blond teased, pushing his hair up out of his eyes. "Serenity and I grew up around 'corns, so they like us for that. Virginity has nothin' t' do with it anymore."

Seto chuckled. "So you won't tell me if you're virgin or not?"

"Nah, I wasn't plannin' on it." He smiled.

"What a shame." The brunet flinched as he became aware of the sun burning into his back. "How do you not burn?"

Joey hummed. "Partly from the unicorn horns. Serenity makes an awesome aloe with it. Heals in a little less than a day. If ya burn, I'll help ya put some on, okay?"

Suddenly, Seto wished that he'd burn, just so Joey could help him put the aloe on.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Jeez, you're red," Joey whispered, brows furrowing together as he watched the brunet gingerly sit down facing the back of his chair so his back wouldn't have to lean against it.

"I knew I was burning but I didn't expect it to be _this bad._" He winced a little as he placed his arms on top of the back of the chair and placed his chin on them. "Are you sure I've blistered?"

"Yeah…" The blond examined his back, frowning as he saw the groups of blisters in patches along his back. "Here, let me go get the aloe."

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He wanted to help the younger boy (and at the same time possibly impress him) and he'd ended up embarrassing himself instead. He flinched as his tight red skin pulled awkwardly. "Damn…"

"Oh, come on. It's not so bad. This'll get ya healed and peelin' in a couple of days," Joey began, walking up behind him. He opened up the mason jar of clear, nearly silver goo and knelt behind him. "This'll probably hurt, and it's gonna be cold, but it'll help."

The brunet hissed quietly as the goo was smeared onto the backs of his shoulders first, then relaxed. "…If you want to, you could collect the dragon scales from my stables and sell them, too."

"Oh?" The younger boy frowned but continued smearing the aloe onto his back. "Why wouldja do that? Those can sell for tons of money. You'd really lemme just… have 'em t' sell?"

"Provided you got them out yourself. I'm not digging through that muck," Seto replied casually.

Joey couldn't help a bark of laughter. He knew the brunet was telling the truth about not wanting to get filthy looking for scales, and it was quite a serious thing to let him have the scales for free. Somehow, though, the way Seto said things sometimes made it impossible to not laugh.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Akai and Kisara watched the blond shovel through wheelbarrows of woodchips, straw, and mud, blinking inquisitively. Finally, Akai stated, _**This seems like the worst sort of job.**_

_**Yuck. I try to save my bodily functions for outside of the stable, but a lot of the other dragons don't do that.**_ Kisara grimaced. _**I don't know, Akai. You said that Seto likes him, but this just seems mean.**_

Joey grinned as he finally found a shiny green scale and put it in his pocket. "Well, there's one! Probably get me twenty gold pieces!"

_**He's doing this… for scales?**_ Kisara asked, appalled.

_**His sister makes poultices and salves, and they sell their ingredients to sorcerers,**_ Akai mused, almost to himself. _**If Seto's just **__letting__** him take the scales he finds, it's actually very nice of him.**_

The white dragon pursed her scaly lips. _**It is still quite disgusting. He'd better take a long bath afterward.**_

_**He still has to go home, bring the unicorns in, and feed them. Maybe even muck out their stalls if he hasn't already.**_ Akai tilted his head and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. _**Horses are so filthy.**_

Kisara paused, then turned, gnawing at a loose scale on her shoulder until it fell to the ground, the new scale beneath it already coming in. She took the scale in her mouth and edged closer to the blond. When he finally looked up at her in surprise, she dropped her scale in front of him.

Joey blinked, startled, then bent down to pick it up. He wiped the dust from it and stared at it for a few minutes before looking up at her. "Are ya givin' this t' me?"

The scales on her wings tinted pink as she glanced away awkwardly. _**Well, I certainly wasn't going to use it.**_ She froze as he threw his arms around her neck, eyes wide, then whined quietly in the back of her throat. _**Akai, he's on me. What do I do?**_

…_**Pat him?**_ the black dragon suggested. _**That's what Seto does whenever Mokuba hugs him.**_ He didn't comment that Seto never looked nearly as awkward hugging someone as she did right now.

Kisara rolled her eyes and sighed, wings reddening further, then brought her front foot around and patted his back gently with her claws. _**Yes, well, now… You can let go.**_

Joey leaned back and smiled at her. "Thanks, Kisara. This means so much t' me."

…_**It shouldn't,**_ she stated shortly, then turned and began moving away from him.

Akai leaned down to lick the blond's cheek before turning to follow her, smiling. _**You were nice.**_

_**It was coming out anyway.**_

_**But you didn't have to yank it out and give it to him.**_

_**Akai, go away.**_

_**You're starting to like him.**_

_**I'll bite your face.**_

_**You're starting to see why Seto's smitten with him.**_

_**Get away from me.**_

_**You want him to like you so that he stays and makes Seto happy.**_

Kisara sighed loudly out of her nose and turned to glare at him. _**I will rip your face off.**_

Akai smiled and nuzzled her cheek. _**You like him.**_

Her eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second.

_**GAH KISARA THAT'S MY FACE I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST KIDDING WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?**_

Joey watched the white dragon attack the black one with wide eyes.

Seto, coming down from the house to check his progress, smiled fondly. "They're just playing. No need to worry."

The blond looked up at him. "Um. Are you sure?"

"Well, they're playing rough, but for the most part, they're just playing. Oh, I see you've found one of Kisara's. I hear that black and white scales are the best and sell for the most." He pulled off his jacket. "I suppose I can help you for a while."

"Don't take off your shirt, 'kay?" Joey teased, smiling. "I didn't bring any of the aloe."

"Ha, ha, ha. I learned my lesson." Seto rolled his eyes and sighed. "That was fun, asking Mokuba if he'd rub more on my back the next day and then sitting around without a shirt on."

The blond laughed. "I bet the maids loved it!"

"A little too much." The brunet sighed. He paused, then smirked at him. "I would have rather stayed at your house."

"Good thing my sister only has eyes for Tristan then!" the younger boy laughed. "Otherwise she woulda been on you in a hot minute!"

Seto paused for a moment before he grabbed a pitchfork and began picking through the straw/wood chip/mud. "What about you?"

"Huh?" Joey turned to look at him in surprise. "What?"

"Do you like me, Joey?"

"'course I like ya. You're nice. You're lettin' me gather scales t' sell!"

Seto stood up straight and turned to face him. "But do you _like _me?"

Joey turned to look up at him in surprise. "…Well… Uh… I mean, you're a nice guy, and… Have… have you been doin' all this to… t' win me over?" he asked, brows furrowing together in confusion.

Seto smiled. "If I say yes, will you say it worked?"

"Oh. Uh, well…" The blond blushed lightly. "…Maybe."

"Are you saying I should back off or double my efforts?"

_**Please don't double your efforts,**_ the two dragons moaned, having paused in their… 'playing' when the two had begun to talk seriously. _**You're embarrassing yourself.**_

Joey bit his bottom lip and smiled, turning his gaze on his feet. "Well, ya don't hafta back off or double anything. You can just… keep doin' what you're doin'." He looked back up at him. "Nothin' wrong with bein' friends first, right?" He tilted his head. "And then… maybe after that, we could be more."

Seto hummed thoughtfully. "…Yes. That would be an acceptable arrangement."

'_**An acceptable arrangement?!' That's not romantic!**_ the white dragon exclaimed, offended on the blond's behalf despite the smaller human merely laughing a little at his way of speech.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Joey teased, pushing him slightly. "'s long as ya don't get creepy or anything."

Seto paused. "…What exactly constitutes as creepy?"

Joey blinked, stunned, before the white dragon wrapped her tail around the brunet's waist and dragged him away. "…Um."

_**Are you trying to scare him off?**_ Kisara snarled, shaking him lightly—or at least, lightly in dragon standards. _**I know I'm going to have to keep carrying him when we ride but come on! He makes you happy and now you're just going to scare him away!**_

Akai snatched him out of the white dragon's grip with his own tail, shaking him himself. _**We need to keep this guy! He makes you nice and you always smile when he comes over! DON'T FUCK THIS UP!**_

Kisara snatched the brunet back. _**Akai, don't be so uncouth.**_ She looked back down at the human and smiled—a scary expression on any dragon, but especially her. _**If you screw this up and send yourself into a melancholy, **__I'll eat you._

"What are your problems?!" Seto asked, brows furrowing together in aggravated confusion. "Put me down!"

Akai walked over to the blond and grasped him in his claws, leaning down to nuzzle him._** Don't worry, Joey. If Seto screws up, we'll take care of you.**_

Joey blinked. "…Somehow, I feel as if I just made friends for life."

_**That's because you did. You're so tiny and cute I just want to keep you,**_ Akai purred.

Kisara rolled her eyes. _**Ugh, make me gag.**_

"Put me down!" Seto exclaimed, pounding on her pearly white scales. "Kisara! Jeez!"

_**Oh, be quiet you,**_ she muttered, patting him on the shoulder with her claws._** We're doing this for you, Seto.**_

"PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT—NO NOT IN THE MUCK KISARA NO AGH!"

Joey giggled quietly as the white dragon deposited him in the muck from the dragons' stalls. "Well, I don't have an aloe for that."

"Oh, leave me alone," Seto muttered, standing up and trying to shake some of the mess off. When that didn't work, he grabbed the blond and rubbed some in his hair.

The two dragons were content to leave them to wrestle and get filthy, because they were laughing, not trying to hurt each other.


	16. Science Fiction

Science Fiction

Seto crossed his arms and sighed, frowning, as he watched the creature bounce around the room through the window, sniffing everything before finally digging its claws into a palm tree. It had been expensive to recreate the creature's habitat, but as he watched it climb up the palm tree and rip one of the leaves off to begin eating it, he couldn't help his lips twitching into a small smile. He was glad he'd saved a few of these creatures before their planet had been ravaged by humans.

The black reptile blinked as it felt eyes on it and turned, squealing quietly, then spread its wings and flew over to press its claws to the two-way mirror, as if it knew he was there.

Seto chuckled and leaned toward the mirror, smiling at the creature and wondering vaguely if the reason the humans had gone out of their way to hunt it was because it looked like a small version of the dragons of yore. They always hated things that caused fear and even these tiny creatures evoked terror from the cowardly race. The brunet couldn't for the life of him figure out why a race that was intelligent enough for universal travel could be so afraid of an obviously peaceful creature that they wanted to destroy it.

Seto lifted his head a little as he saw the door on the other side of the enclosure open and couldn't help but hum in approval as one of the humans he _could_ stand stepped inside. "Seems like you look tastier every time I see you," he mused to himself as the blond closed the door and shook the bucket of fruits he'd brought in.

"Heeeey, buddy! Look what I brought ya!"

The dragon squealed and galloped over to him, stopping just at his feet. Joey laughed and reached into the bucket to pull out a slice of fuchsia melon. He knelt to offer it to him and smiled as the dragon took it and gobbled it up, rind and all. He pulled out a few more pieces of neon fruit and watched the dragon eat it, then set the bucket down in front of it.

"Go t' town, little guy."

The dragon did just that, diving into the bucket and gobbling up everything it could get its little claws on. It resurfaced for a moment to look at the blond, just to make sure he was still there, then returned to gorging itself.

Joey squatted next to the bucket and wrapped his arms around his knees, laughing a little as the dragon tried to climb into the bucket but instead toppled the whole thing over with a startled squeal. "Careful, you'll hurt yourself." He reached to grab the bucket and tipped it so the remaining blue cherries and a few slices of orange cabbage fell onto the ground before setting the bucket upright again.

The dragon grabbed the cherries and ate them, then grabbed the slices of orange cabbage in its claws and scuttled over to its nest, tucking them inside a small hole before covering them with twigs for later.

Joey hummed quietly. "I don't know why I keep givin' ya cabbage. Ya always forget about it 'til it rots and toss it in with your shit." He stood, holding the bucket at his side as he leaned down to pat the dragon's head, then glanced around suspiciously. After a moment, he pulled a piece of bacon from his pocket and dropped it on the floor. "Woops."

The dragon saw it, glanced around sneakily, then snatched it up and hurriedly climbed up a tree.

The blond chuckled. It was a rare treat, and had been a complete accident when he'd found out the dragon liked bacon, but the dragon had showed no interest in any other meat but that one. He knew the dragon wasn't supposed to have it, because it wasn't in its diet, but sometimes he liked to give it a little treat. And the little black dragon seemed to realize it wasn't supposed to have it and was quite secretive when it got it.

Joey slipped back out the door, taking one last peek at the little dragon, then shut the door and turned to walk back into the kitchen.

"Boo."

"WAGH!" Joey lurched backward, eyes wide as he looked up into the brunet's blue ones. "Kaiba-!"

The Xarolian licked his lips and raised an eyebrow. "Have you… only just had breakfast?"

"Huh?"

"…You smell of bacon."

Joey blushed brightly. "Uh. Yeah. Breakfast. 'nd I had pancakes."

The brunet's brows furrowed together. "You do not smell like syrup."

"…Dry pancakes."

The alien's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Dry pancakes? That sounds like a miserable meal."

Joey smiled weakly, eyes drifting up to the feathers in the brunet's hair instead of his penetrating gaze. "Yeah. I was in a hurry, so I just stuck the bacon on a pancake and folded the pancake in half. Poor man's breakfast sandwich, heheh."

Seto tilted his head, eyes glinting skeptically. "…I see."

"Geh!" The blond squeaked quietly as the alien grabbed his chin and shoved his head back, blushing as the Xarolian brushed his nose over his neck and breathed in deeply. "Then why is the scent of bacon coming from your pocket?"

"…Eh?"

"You know that I have carefully researched these dragons' diets and have designed their food program to best benefit them," Seto stated, leaning back and narrowing his eyes at him. "I do not approve of you deviating from it."

"Oh, come on. A piece of bacon once a month isn't gonna kill 'im," Joey exclaimed, refusing to be cowed by the brunet's glare. "It's just a treat every once in a while. Sort of like how sometimes ya let Mokuba have cake after dinner."

"Yes, but Mokuba will live several more decades. These creatures live thirty years at best, and this black one is already at least fifteen."

Joey blinked. "…Why don't ya just breed 'em, then?"

"You think I have not tried? The females are white, the males are black, and they have shown absolutely no interest in each other," the brunet spat, stepping backward.

The human tilted his head and frowned. "What do you do?"

"I put them in an enclosure together but nothing ever happens. They have different diets and are wholly uninterested in each other."

Joey blinked. "…Whose enclosure?"

"I have tried in both. The white one does not like the black one's climate and vice versa. Complete disinterest each time."

"…Well, why would ya think they'd be comfortable with that?" the blond asked, tilting his head again. "No one's gonna make a move if they're not comfortable."

Seto blinked slowly, his slit pupils wide in the relative darkness of the dimly lit hallway. "…How would I make them… both comfortable, then? They live in two separate habitats."

The human rolled his eyes, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Make a habitat that's rocky but warm. Put some tropical bushes next t' some mountain ones. Make it warm but wet. It's not really rocket science, Kaiba. …And you're _good_ at rocket science."

The brunet jerked backward, blinking slowly. "…A… mixture of the two habitats. Why, that is actually quite clever. I knew there was a reason I kept you around despite the dragons' obviously love for you."

"Um… Thanks?" Joey answered after a moment, frowning.

The Xarolian clapped him on the shoulder quite hard, his scaly blue knuckles shining in the dim light. "I will go work on a design for it and purchase the necessary items. You will put the new habitat together, yes?"

"Uh." The human blinked and watched as the other man turned, the brown feathers on his wings fluffing the way they usually did when he was planning something and excited about it. "Well, I built all the other ones, so…"

"Good. I will have the blue prints finished by the end of the week. Until then, begin cleaning out the storage room for another habitat. That should be the right size. We can put the supplies in the broom closet."

Joey thought about telling the Xarolian that the broom closet had probably been a fairly large office at some point, which was why it was so big, but the nature-loving alien would probably go on about how that didn't matter now because he was in charge, not his late step-father, and he just didn't care to listen to that rant again. He rolled his eyes and sighed, smiling a little as the brunet's silvery blue tail waved back and forth with each step.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Is it workin'?" Joey asked, wiping some sweat from his brow.

He'd just come in from deep-cleaning the black dragon's tropical habitat, which had take a few days; working several days in the heated room had taken a toll on him, and was actually looking forward to cleaning the white dragon's habitat. He was planning to scrub down the white dragon's mountainous habitat after a quick lunch. Since it was mostly cold, the mold didn't grow quickly, but the rocks were moist enough that a layer of scum was beginning to form on it.

Luckily, the dragon's claws kept her from sliding or slipping. The same could not be said for Joey, and he predicted that he'd be sent sliding down to land on his ass on the floor several times. He wasn't really looking forward to _that_ part.

Seto motioned toward the mirrored glass. "I would say so."

"Eh?" Joey looked through the glass, blinked, then squealed. "Why are we watchin' them have sex?!"

"…It feels like we accomplished something," the Xarolian replied. "They made a nest out of palm leaves and branches from the bushes. Look. They already have eggs."

"Oh. Wouldja look at that." He gazed at the two silvery eggs in the nest fondly. "And all after a few days of bein' together. Not very many eggs, though."

Seto hummed quietly and explained, "She only lays one each time they couple, and it appears that their mating ritual has only just ended, because they only started coupling this morning. I thought about fetching you to see it, but I did not think you would appreciate it like I do."

"…Thanks," the blond replied sincerely. He really did not enjoy watching animals having sex and he figured it was the brunet's more nature-oriented disposition that he enjoyed seeing it.

It probably helped that he was watching new life come of it, too. All Xarolians reacted positively to new birth.

Joey pursed his lips as the brunet's wings flew up. Maybe he reacted too positively. "Really? A wing boner?"

The Xarolian at least had the decency to blush, his cheeks flushing a healthy green color. "I cannot help it."

"You're not even watchin' other Xarolians do it!"

The brunet huffed. "It is not my fault. New life makes me happy."

"Well, let's not count our eggs before they hatch," Joey sighed, rolling his eyes. When the alien looked confused by his idiom, he sighed again, frowning. "Seto, there's a possibility that some of these eggs won't hatch. It's just like chickens. Ya don't count how many chickens ya get by countin' how many fertilized eggs were laid; ya count how many chickens ya get by waitin' for the eggs t' hatch."

At that, the older boy's wings wilted. He clearly hadn't thought of that and it appeared as if the idea was ripping his heart in two. He loved these creatures and wanted them to live and thrive. He'd even hoped to turn part of his extensive property into a larger habitat for them—and he'd seriously thought about discussing research to release them into the wild with a few other activists.

He wanted all of the eggs to survive. He knew Mother Nature could be a cruel bitch, but he really wanted each egg to hatch and be a healthy little dragonling.

Joey sighed and reached out to trail his fingertips over the brunet's spine, watching as his wings flew up again and raising an eyebrow. "I just touched ya and ya got a wing boner?"

"It is not my fault. You arouse me," Seto replied shortly.

The blond raised an eyebrow. "…I wanna clean out the white one's room."

The Xarolian nodded. "I understand that. Thank you for your excellent job cleaning the black one's habitat."

"…But if you're still in the mood I can come see ya after dinner t'night."

Seto turned to face him and sighed. "I would like that very much, but you have been exhausted the last few days you spent cleaning the tropical habitat. I would not want to stress your body further."

Joey hummed and reached up to swipe the brunet's hair out of his eyes, watching his slit pupils shrink in the sudden light. "Well, it'll take me a couple more days t' clean the mountainy room. I wanna scrub all those boulders clean and they're really slippery." He cupped his hand over one of the older boy's eyes and chuckled a little when that pupil widened but the other one remained the same. "If you're not too busy tryin' t' study the eggs, maybe after I'm finished, I could help ya with this," he added, trailing his fingers over the Xarolian's spine again and watching his wings shudder a little.

The brunet hissed and twisted his tail around to wrap around the human's waist, yanking him up against his body. "You humans are such teases. You seem to be especially so."

"Yeah, but ya hafta admit, ya kinda like it," the blond teased, smiling. He trailed his fingers down the alien's chest and purred. "Doncha?"

Seto whined quietly, tail tightening around his waist, then dipped his head forward so his forehead pressed against the human's. "…A little."

"So. If you're not sittin' on those eggs t' hatch 'em yourself after I finish cleaning the mountainy habitat, maybe we could… I dunno…"

"I know exactly what," the Xarolian stated swiftly. "It would involve intercourse. Hopefully anal, but I would be content with oral intercourse if you would not mind."

Joey laughed; he'd long since gotten used to Seto's way of speech and he sort of found it endearing at this point. "No, I wouldn't mind anal intercourse with ya."

"Good. Would you prefer vanilla or cherry lubricant?"

"Whatever ya have on hand is fine with me."

Seto blinked. "I am asking because I have those flavors and more."

The blond chuckled again. "Whatever ya feel like lickin' up, Kaiba."

The older boy's wings stiffened further at the thought. "You would… let me lick you this time?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not? It's been a while." Joey blinked as the brunet let out a happy trill, smiled, and opened his mouth to show straight, healthy teeth—eyeteeth a little longer than what Joey had, but not as prominent as some other Xarolians. He couldn't help but sigh as the brunet began closing his teeth along his shoulder and rolled his eyes.

Xarolians usually showed how happy they were with their lovers by leaving hickeys along their necks and shoulders. Joey glanced at his watch, then decided that he could rush through lunch and allowed the brunet to continue biting him. "You're lucky I find Xarolians attractive."

Seto stood up straight, licking his lips, then chuckled quietly. "You are lucky I find humans attractive as well, you scaleless, featherless, furless wonders."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Poor me. Just skin an' bones," the blond cooed, turning to walk away from him. He peered over his shoulder at the older boy and purred, "Not that ya don't always kiss every bit of skin ya can. I almost think it's a fetish."

The alien's cheeks flushed bright green as he scowled. "It is not a fetish. It is just… different, and I like to experiment with—"

"Ah, ah, ah. Ya get all sciency on me and I won't let ya bone me," Joey teased, finally walking away from him.

Seto frowned. "You humans use such vulgar language. Boning you sounds as if you want me to grab a large bone and club you with it."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I can't say I won't let ya intercourse me then, either!" the blond laughed, and fled before the alien could explain just how he was supposed to use that word in place of 'boning' so he could grab something to eat before he began cleaning out the other habitat.


	17. Fantasy

Fantasy

Joey groaned in the back of his throat as he dragged himself out of the mud. "Uhn…" He flinched as he found a hand in front of his face. "Ngh-!"

Seto rolled his eyes as the blond shrank away from him and instead reached down to grab the back of his shirt and drag him to his feet. "Why do you insist on fighting them every time? You're lucky they didn't crush you!"

"Leave me alone," the blond muttered, smacking his hand away. He turned to wipe mud from his scaly tail, then sat down on the ground heavily, instead holding his tail to his chest as he began to rock back and forth the tiniest bit.

The older boy rolled his eyes, sighing quietly, then sat down beside him, resting his arms on his knees. "…Would you like to—"

Joey scowled and immediately spat, "_No._"

Seto hummed quietly. "I'm a very good listener."

"Oh, don't pretend ya care," the blond muttered, beginning to strip his filthy shirt off. "We both know you're only here 'cause we're betrothed and my ma told ya t' court me before we get married."

The white-scaled boy hummed quietly. He wanted to say he felt genuine affection, but he'd only known the blond for a few weeks and quite frankly, it was difficult to like someone that went out of his way to prove he wasn't happy about being betrothed. While he did find the other boy interesting, Joey continued to make actually liking him difficult because he refused to give him a chance.

Seto tilted his head a little, then reached out to place his hand on the blond's knee. He felt the blond stiffen and hummed to himself quietly, giving his knee a light squeeze before running his hand up his thigh.

Joey promptly slapped his hand away, cheeks flushed dark red. "Don't act so familiar with me!"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we going to _become_ quite familiar in a couple of weeks?"

"Uh—" The younger boy frowned, as if he hadn't thought about it that much at all. "…Well, that's in a couple of weeks! No need t' get so familiar now!"

Seto leaned his head in his hand, forcing himself not to smirk smugly ask he asked, "But you'll let those humans molest you instead?"

Joey opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Seto knew that the rivalry between humans and dragons was a bit more bitter and violent in this particular territory. The dragons were hot-tempered and quick to erupt in violence, and the humans replied in kind. He supposed that the reason for their betrothal was partly for the need for a leader that would not immediately try to slice a human's head off at the tiniest slight. Joey didn't seem like the type of person to just sit back and let his mate take over.

Still, getting into fist fights with humans didn't seem becoming of a prince—whom Joey was—and he could probably do with someone to help him control his temper.

Seto reached up to gently touch the fading bruise around his eye. He sincerely doubted he would be that person, especially when the blond couldn't find words to explain himself, snarled, and slapped the wet fabric of his shirt in his face.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey sat up and frowned, rubbing his arm idly before he forced himself to his feet. His head throbbed painfully and he felt vertigo for a brief but terrifying moment. The humans must have clubbed him. He bit his bottom lip and whined quietly as the lightheadedness ended, then limped over to the stream to wash the blood from his face.

He huffed a little as water went up his nose and shook his head, flinging water from his face and the ends of his hair, then sighed and looked at his reflection tiredly. He stared at himself for a few moments, exhausted and hurting, before he realized what exactly was wrong with what he saw.

"My horn," he whispered, horrified, and reached up to touch the bloody stump above and a little ahead of his right ear. "They took one of my horns…!"

A few minutes later, his horror turned to white hot rage. He thought about storming to the nearest human village, but immediately deflated. He was already hurt and his world tilted when he moved too fast. He couldn't risk another fight right now. Stealth would probably be best for now.

Once it was dark, he slid into his scalier, more reptilian form. It was easier to move about in the inky night when you were as dark as the black sky itself. He'd just have to remember to change back into his humanoid form; this form took a lot of food to maintain and he didn't relish the thought of eating an entire banquet by himself. He sniffed out his horn and peeked into the window of the hut where the smell was coming form.

He felt his heart break a little more when he saw that his horn had already been ground into a powder. Hurriedly slinking away, he spread his wings and fled, not stopping his quick pace until he was safely ensconced in his room, hidden under the thick covers and head gingerly tucked under a pillow.

Once there, he sobbed, because it would take months for his horn to grow back. He looked _stupid_ with one long horn and one bloody stub and his head _hurt._ His temple throbbed hot and painful with each minute.

Joey bit his bottom lip and whimpered. He had never felt so badly about getting in fights with humans, but… but this, _this_ had been truly unacceptable. Their fights had always been about who was stronger as a person and, vaguely, who the better species was. Now, though, the humans had made it a personal attack, had stolen his beautiful black horn and ground it up so he couldn't come back to reclaim it and reattach it.

He felt so violated and ashamed of himself for letting it happen, for letting himself be caught in a position for the humans to have the upper hand. He'd been so full of himself, with only three humans to fight, and then they'd somehow used a spell to knock him out and steal his horn.

He should have stopped them when he saw what was happening. He shouldn't have been so stupidly curious. Then he wouldn't be in this mess.

Joey heard a knock on his door and hid more firmly under his pillow. "Go 'way!"

"Joey, we need you for your last fitting, and—" Serenity began on the other side of the door.

"GO AWAY I'M NOT COMIN' OUT."

Serenity jerked backward, frowning, then sighed. "You know Mother isn't going to be—"

"I DON'T CARE!" He listened to her huff and stomp away, then whimpered again.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto scowled and rapped sharply on the blond's door. "Joey, open this door."

The blond's voice was feeble, not as forceful as he was used to. "No."

"So you're standing me up then? You're breaking our betrothal and shaming your entire family?" he asked, knowing that the quickest way to rile the blond was to threaten his family's honor.

He scowled when he heard nothing in response, then snarled and punched his door in frustration. "I didn't think I was _that_ terrible of a person. –Or perhaps you'd prefer if I was a human! You seem to think that they're more attractive, since you spend most of your time with the—"

The door opened just the tiniest bit to show a swollen eye glaring at him, red from tears. If Seto had been a lesser man, he would have blanched and back paddled immediately. As it was, he was too angry to do anything but glower back at him.

Joey bit his bottom lip for a moment, then whispered, "We can't get married t'day, okay?"

"Why?" Seto asked angrily. "You should have called off the wedding earlier, then. I have no intention of being left at the altar just because you decided to be a flighty little twit that doesn't want the commitment!"

"We just—we just, can't, okay?!"

The brunet swallowed an angry roar and instead slammed his hand against the door, forcing it open. If he'd taken a moment to calm down, he would have noticed how little effort it took to push past the blond, or how he hurriedly jerked away and hunched his shoulders in shame.

Seto snarled. "You little brat! Get dressed and come down for the ceremony! I came here to marry you, not your sister, and you said you don't want me putting my filthy hands on her anyway. So you get your clothes on and do your duty because it's too late for you to turn into a selfish _child._"

Joey hugged himself and hiccupped quietly, teeth digging into his bottom lip. "I… I can't. I _won't._" Before the brunet could get even angrier, he turned to face him, tears filling his eyes. "I can't go out there and let 'em see me like this. Look at me! I'm… I'm _ugly!_"

Seto physically recoiled when he saw the lump that a regal black horn had once extended from, edges still pink and raw from the injury. His recoiling didn't help heal the blond's already fragile psyche.

The blond sobbed. "_See?_ I'm ugly and I—I'm _broken._ Broken the worst possible way-!"

"Joey, it's okay," the brunet cut in, reaching out to cup his cheeks. "You're not ugly; you're just, missing a horn."

"_I'm so ugly you're tryin' t' make me feel better!_" Joey wailed.

Seto fought the urge to grimace, realizing that nothing he said could possibly make this better at the moment, and instead focused on a different topic. "Who did this to you, Joey?"

"Those stupid humans—I thought we were just gonna fight but they started usin' magic so I just let 'em do it 'cause I was curious and then I woke up and my horn was _gone!_" the blond sobbed, reaching up to cover his horn so the older boy would stop looking at it.

He knew that he'd been stupid and he'd brought it upon himself, and it only made him feel worse, because now he felt even more stupid and violated than he had before. Telling someone about it hurt, and as the brunet stared at him in disbelief, he felt his self-esteem wither even further. He was stupid and ugly and now that he'd admitted it was his fault that it had happened, he was damaged goods and Seto wouldn't want him anymore.

Seto watched the once-proud black dragon dip his head in shame and suddenly felt the blond's pain all the way down to his bones. Joey was such a proud person that seeing him so humiliated and broken made him… angry. So… so _very _angry.

"…I… I guess, if Serenity doesn't mind, you could marry her," Joey whispered, looking absolutely defeated. He knew that someone needed to mate with Seto to keep political unrest from reaching a head and he knew that the older boy probably thought that he wasn't worth mating with anymore. "She could change into somethin' really pretty and everyone would forget that it's s'posed t' be me you're marryin' because she's so beautiful."

The brunet stood in front of him for several long moments, then reached up to cup his cheeks, frowning as he leaned his forehead against the younger boy's. "I courted you, not your sister. You're still you, even without your horn. Besides, it will grow back."

"Mm-!" Joey jerked his head away, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. "I can't. I can't marry ya, Seto. Not like this." He squeaked as he heard a knock on his door and flinched, then pulled away from the brunet and dove onto his bed, hiding beneath the covers.

Seto sighed quietly, frowning, then stepped out of his room, coming face-to-face with the blond's mother and sister as he pulled the door shut.

Serenity frowned up at him. "Is he coming out?"

"…No," he answered after a healthy pause. "No, he's not." He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was supposed to keep his broken horn a secret, then decided at this point, it was best for them to know; after all, he wouldn't be the only one embarrassed that they weren't getting married. "Some humans broke off one of his horns."

Serenity took a step back, eyes wide in horror. "Has he seen a healer? Of course he hasn't! I'll go fetch one!"

Seto watched her scamper away, frowning, then turned his attention to their mother. "I don't understand. His horn is going to grow back—"

Before he could finish, she reached up and struck him across the cheek with her palm so hard that his ears rang for a few seconds. She glared at him. "Don't you _ever_ say something so insensitive again!"

He took a step back in surprise, lifting a hand to touch his burning cheek. "…What…?"

"Your horns may not be as important to you as ours are to our people," she began venomously. "But to us, horns are important. Why do you think almost all of our people have long horns? They're sensitive, and they don't heal quickly like any other injury. Unless the other horn is broken off and filed down, they will never be the same size, and when they're broken off carelessly, they can become infected."

"…I'm sorry, I didn't—" Seto began awkwardly, feeling genuinely remorseful, but jerked back again when the woman in front of him bristled. "Erk!"

She leaned toward him and narrowed her eyes, hissing, "Forcefully breaking off and destroying a black dragon's horn is almost as bad as rape. It simply _isn't_ done. Even accidents are punished. The only ones allowed to break horns are healers, to make sure the horns grow at the same rate." She pursed her lips as she saw her daughter approaching at a run, the healer hurrying behind her, then sighed. "Well. Here we go."

Seto watched the healer slip into the blond's room, followed by his mother and sister, then awkwardly stared at the closed door after it slammed shut. He didn't know where he was supposed to go or what he was supposed to do. He didn't even know if they were still going to be married.

"_No! Ma, don't let 'im do this—__**MA, PLEASE—**__Serenity let me go—aaahhhh!_"

Seto flinched as he heard the younger boy start sobbing and reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. Joey had been ashamed of his broken horn before. He didn't want to distress him further by coming in and watching him suffer.

An hour later, his mother and the healer stepped outside. The healer whispered a few words of care before leaving the two of them in front of the door.

Seto watched him go, frowning, then turned his attention back to what was supposed to have been his mother-in-law. "…How is he?"

"That's a fucking stupid question," she spat, making him jerk slightly in surprise at her uncouth language and behavior. "He's awful. Of course he's awful. Someone broke his horn off and then his mom and sister had to hold him down while a healer broke off his other one." She took a deep breath, then sighed, frowning. "…We want this marriage to proceed. Of course not today—perhaps not even a few months. But Joey has expressed that he only suggested Serenity because he thought you'd be ashamed of him."

"I have the stubbiest horns within a fifty mile radius," Seto stated incredulously. "Do I look like I give a damn how long his horns are?"

She shot him a sharp look. "Seto."

He sighed. "I'm _sorry._ I just don't understand what—"

"He has never filed his horns down before," she cut in icily. "Since he was born, he has always been proud of his horns. The humans he respected took advantage of him and broke a source of his pride. He feels like his worth has been compromised. Keep in mind what I said about this being almost equal to rape. He's hurting and he probably won't ever stop hurting, no matter how much that hurt fades." She crossed her arms and sighed, glancing away sadly. "It's a shame. He really liked those humans. What would cause them to do this…?"

Seto turned his head to look at the blond's door again, listening to his quiet sobs and Serenity's quiet voice trying to comfort him. "…I wouldn't know," he replied, voice tight.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto approached the village he knew that Joey liked to hang around, watching the humans try and glance at him without being obvious. He thought about telling them to stop trying, because it was _clear _they were looking at him, then shook his head a little. Humans were obvious creatures, after all; nothing he could say would make up for that particular disability.

He wondered for only a moment why none of the humans were challenging him as they often challenged Joey, but he remembered Serenity telling him that humans seemed to think white dragons weren't as dangerous as black ones simply because they were not easily roused to violence. Perhaps they thought he was gentler and more easygoing than other dragons.

He pursed his lips. They were mistaken. The black dragons were quick to fight because they liked a short, easily resolved situation. The humans Joey fought with he could usually be found drinking with a few days later. White dragons were cruel, calculating, and crushed their opponents.

They were certainly not found drinking with the people they fought. Most of the people they fought were dead. Rarely were they allowed to live.

Approaching an old woman (older humans were given more respect by dragons, simply because to live so long, they must be at least somewhat intelligent), he leaned down to meet her eyes. "Hag, I require information."

She stared back at him with sharp but tired eyes, not enjoying being called a hag but too polite to correct the dragon in front of her; it wasn't his fault that dragons had learned the misconception that 'hag' was a respectful term for elderly women. She comforted herself by remembering that dragons called old men 'coots.' "Yes?"

"Your people broke off a black dragon's horn. Why?" he asked coldly.

She hummed, and he watched her eyes glaze over as if looking through him. "I see, I see…" She paused, then answered, "A magician passing through warned that the black dragon was reaching an age where he'd steal away one of our girls and force her to have her children. He told us that breaking off one of his horns would banish him, but we'd have to grind it down first. He said he'd take the ground horn from us in case the dragon tried to return for it anyway."

Seto narrowed his eyes. These humans weren't completely faultless, but they hadn't come up with the idea on their own. The magician had probably used them to get Joey's horn because he was running low on the ingredient for magic himself.

Leaning toward the woman so his mouth was next to her ear, he hissed, "Did it ever occur to you that you could simply _ask him what his intentions were?_" When she didn't reply, he continued, "He played with you just as much as he fought with you. He thought humans were fun when they weren't being arrogant. He protected your sorry little village from wild animals. You could have asked him to leave you alone, and he would have, and what did you do instead?"

He leaned back to glare into her eyes, his own blue ones glowing with thinly-veiled rage. "_You just about raped him._" He watched her pale and was pleased when he saw that she was beginning to realize they'd been tricked. Leaning toward her again, he hissed, "We were betrothed. He would never take a human for a mate—no self-respecting _royal dragon_ would."

He paused a moment to let that tidbit sink in, that they'd molested a dragon of royal descent, then added, "He was so distraught, he almost called off our engagement. He's still tentative. Had he called it off, I would have been… displeased, to say the least. And if he decides to call it off in the future—Well, let's just say that your little hamlet will be the first, but not the last, to suffer for it."

Standing up straight, Seto snapped his wings threateningly, then turned to walk away. Once he was out of sight of the small village, his lips curled into a small but no less smug grin.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stared into his mirror and reached up to delicately touch the tips of his horns. He tried to keep from crying again, but seeing his once-beautiful horns reduced to a fraction of what they'd been, his eyes just filled with hot, angry tears.

Before any of them could fall, though, Seto stepped up beside him and leaned his head next to his, humming quietly. "Look, they're finally longer than mine."

He still felt terrible, but he had to laugh. "It doesn't take much t' be longer than yours. 'sides, I don't think mine ever _were_ as short as yours!"

"…Are mine ugly then?" Seto asked after a moment, honestly curious. He knew that to white dragons, his horns were perfectly normal, but seeing how the black dragons were so proud of their horns, he wondered if they were attractive.

Joey turned to face him and reached up to cup his horns in his hands carefully. "Well—"

"You can grab my horns. Just… grab them and yank them if you want to."

The blond looked up at him with wide eyes, as if horrified by the thought. "What?!"

"Give them a yank." Seto reached up to cover his hands and force them to yank down on his horns.

Joey gasped and flinched, squeezing his eyes shut as he prepared for the brunet to snarl in pain. When nothing to that effect happened, he squinted one eye open and peeked up at him. "…I…"

"My horns are close to my skull, so they're not as sensitive as yours. In fact, the only reason I know your hands are on my horns is because I can feel you tugging my head." The brunet made him pull on his left horn for effect. "See?"

"Oh." The younger boy hesitantly tugged his head this way and that, then smiled a little, giggling as he made the brunet rotate his head in a circle.

Seto frowned. "That does _not _make me a toy."

"I betcha you could give great head," the blond mused. He blushed a little when the older boy shot him a sharp glare and bit his bottom lip, hurriedly yanking his hands to his chest. "Uh. Not that that I think about that stuff."

"…Right." The brunet paused for a moment, then reached up to trace his fingertips under the other boy's horns.

Joey flinched, eyes wide for a few terrified seconds, before he slowly relaxed, his hunched shoulders beginning to fall lax again as the brunet carefully but firmly massaged the bone around his horns. "…Do… Do ya like me better with short horns?" he asked after a moment, frowning. "I mean, I know your horns are short, so—"

"I like your horns however you like them," Seto replied, sliding his hands down to the blond's shoulders. "Although I have to admit that you looked lovely with your horns curling around your head, like a crown of their own." He leaned forward to lean their foreheads together and purred, "I have to admit that during the few calm moments I had with you, I wanted to lean over and lick from scalp to tip."

"…S-scalp t' tip?" The blond flushed further, turning his gaze on his feet awkwardly. He was no stranger to sex—he doubted that Seto was a virgin, either—but no one had ever licked his horns.

"I thought you might punch me if I did." The brunet smiled. "So I figured I'd save it for the honeymoon. It's a shame that our honeymoon has to wait." He paused, then tilted his head. "I learned why—Well, the why doesn't matter. Joey, if I found the man responsible for breaking your horn, what would you like me to do to him?"

Joey turned his head away and frowned. "…I… Oh, it doesn't matter," he whispered, gaze lowering to his feet. "It won't make my horns grow back any faster."

Seto frowned as he watched the blond wilt before him, then grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Don't do that. Don't wallow in this feeling." When the younger boy tried to turn his head away again, he jerked his face back, then leaned in to mash their mouths together. He broke the kiss a moment later and sighed. "Joey, I want to make you whole. Please let me do that. If I found that man, what would you have me do?"

"I… I…!" Joey took a deep breath as he looked up into the brunet's eyes, tears once again forming in his own. "I-!"

"What?" he whispered, leaning closer to his face.

"…I want ya t' rip his stupid dick off!" he wailed, then buried his face in the brunet's chest and sobbed a few times. "I want 'im t' feel just like he made me feel!"

Seto held him tightly and kissed his neck, then nuzzled where he'd kissed. "I will. I'll find him and I'll make him suffer like he made you suffer. I'm just sorry I didn't set those humans straight in the first place."

Joey sniffled and bit his bottom lip, hiccupping quietly. "I just… I just wanna be normal again."

"You will be. It's going to be okay. _You'll_ be okay," Seto told him firmly. He kissed him again and kept kissing him until the blond's broken whimpers turned to satisfied mews.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto pulled the blond into his lap and purred. "Magnificent."

"Mm…" The younger boy licked his lips and smiled. "Glad ya think so. You weren't so shabby yourself."

"I've learned a few tricks for my long tongue, yes." He hummed and reached down to stroke the lace stockings the blond was wearing, fingers trailing up the straps at the top to his garter belt. "And you said you'd be wearing these at the wedding? Will you be wearing a dress, too?"

Joey leaned his forehead against the brunet's and giggled quietly. "No, dresses are for women. I'll be wearin' dress robes. No one will see the stockin's or garter belt except you, when ya pull my clothes off after the weddin'."

Seto's purr grew louder. "I like that. I like that _a lot._"

"Ya know what I think you'll like even more?" the blond whispered, looking up at him from beneath his lashes. "I have a pair of lacy panties I'll wear too."

The white dragon let out a long, low groan. "_Yessss pleeeease._"

Joey giggled, turning his gaze away bashfully, then bit his bottom lip. "…You… you could lick my horns then, too."

Seto watched the blond flinch a little at the thought, torn between excitement and shame, and frowned. He reached up to cup his cheek and brushed his thumb over the younger boy's bottom lip gently. "Do you remember what I told you?"

Joey looked up at him and frowned. "Huh?"

"I told you that I wanted to make you whole. Let me do that, please," he whispered, pulling him down for a kiss. "I'll lick your horns until you're a quivering mess if it makes you happy. Just please—Your horns are beautiful no matter how long they are. I'll be happy if you're happy."

The blond bit his bottom lip and turned his head away, then sighed quietly. "…Seto. I like my horns long."

Seto nodded. "Then grow them out."

"…It'll take a long time."

"We've all the time in the world."

"What if I wanna set the weddin' back until my horns are long enough?"

Seto paused, tilting his head thoughtfully. After a few minutes, he nodded again. "Then we'll wait. We'll wait as long as you need to feel comfortable. I just want you to be happy." He whined as the blond's eyes began to fill with tears. "What? Did I say something wrong? What did I do now?"

"I wasn't even very nice t' ya before it happened," Joey whispered, feeling ashamed for not even trying to get along with the brunet when they'd been 'courting.' He'd just known that he'd be getting married regardless of whether they liked each other and had wanted to have as much fun as he could before they were bound together, regardless of whether the brunet liked it or not.

He wished he'd been nicer to him beforehand. Seto was doing his best to take care of him and make him feel better and their last conversation before his horn had been broken off had ended with him smacking the white dragon in the face with his wet clothes. He knew he was mean and had a horrible temper, but Seto was bearing it all with grace.

"Are ya doin' this 'cause ya like me or 'cause you're takin' your responsibility t' your people really seriously?" he asked quietly, frowning. But he knew that even if he was just taking his responsibility seriously, he was going above and beyond. Joey hadn't even gotten to the point that he was giving anything.

Seto tilted his head again, frowning. "…I… I suppose it's a little bit of both. I find that you're incredibly interesting. I like learning new things and I especially like learning new things from you, simply because you're so different from most royalty. I…" He hesitated, then continued, "I guess it started with duty, but the more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to learn about you. And you've surprised me at every turn.

"I _am _angry that someone hurt you, and I want to make them pay for that. But… it started as anger that someone would damage what was supposed to be mine. The more time I've spent with you, the more I've wanted to take care of you." He bit his bottom lip, then quietly added, "I like you. I don't want our union to be solely about our people coming together and cooperating because they have to. I want them to come together because we're happy."

Joey leaned his head on the brunet's shoulder and sighed, letting his eyes drift closed. "…That sounds real nice, Seto."

"…If it sounds so nice, then why are you so teary?" Seto asked, frowning.

"…I'll get over it. It's just… it's somethin' personal." The blond smiled awkwardly. "Seto, I think I'll be okay. Just give me some time."

The white dragon sighed quietly. This was why he liked Joey; he didn't understand him most of the time, but he _wanted_ to, and that made him interesting. "Alright."

Joey looked down at his lap and plucked at his stocking a moment, then looked up at him again. "I'll tell my mother I'm ready for the wedding. She and Serenity will plan it again, so we'll have a few months before it happens."

"Or we could elope, and get married now," Seto suggested, smirking.

Joey cupped his cheeks and smiled sweetly. "Seto, that's such a great idea."

The brunet purred. "Yeah?"

"But _Royals. Don't. Elope,_" the younger boy stated sharply, giving him a smack on the shoulder, then stood.

Seto whined as he walked into his closet to change. "Why can't we be the first?"

"Because my mother and sister would murder us. _Both_ of us," Joey replied, huffing, as he began to untie his garter belt. "Serenity probably won't get married for another decade so they're really excited to have this opportunity for practice."

"…You don't get any say in the wedding?" the brunet asked, watching as the garter belt fell to the ground and purring unconsciously as the younger boy bent over to begin delicately pushing his stockings down, giving him a lovely view of his pert behind, black tail waving above it.

"I get t' pick the colors they base the decorations on. I'm thinkin' teal," the blond mused, standing up straight as he stepped out of his stockings.

Seto frowned. "Please don't pick teal." He paused. "…Or turquoise."

"…What about… peach?" Joey hummed quietly, tapping his bottom lip as he usually did when he was in deep thought. "Peach is a nice color." He tilted his head, then smiled, turning toward him. "Whatta ya think about peach?"

"It's so… girly."

The blond blinked at him, then threw his hands up. "What colors do you want, then?!"

Seto glanced at the lacy stockings the younger boy was picking up, then back up at him. "How about… red, like your stockings? People could speculate that it's to match your eyes, but _we_ would know the real reason." He smirked. "I like that idea. Your wedding is decorated like your stockings and I'm the only one who knows."

Joey tilted his head thoughtfully, then snorted and turned away. "No. I'll figure somethin' else out."

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Clearly my opinion counts for naught."

"'course not. My family's hostin' the weddin' so my opinion is the one that counts!"

Seto blinked slowly. "What if I ask for my family to host the wedding?"

"Ya wouldn't if ya wanna live. Mom and Serenity are _really_ excited. Ya wouldn't wanna disappoint them after the _first_ weddin' didn't happen, would ya?"

Seto shuddered at the thought. His mother had already slapped him once. He could only imagine what they would do to him if they stole their thunder.

"…So maybe peach!" Joey smiled.

The brunet grimaced. "Peach would be… lovely."

Joey walked over to him and kissed him lightly. "You're so good t' me, Seto."

Seto smiled weakly. "Yes, well. I like you. Why would I be mean to someone I like?"

"I like tons of people and I'm mean t' them." The blond frowned. "Does that… make me a bad person?"

"It makes you a black dragon. When you're not mean, you're incredibly nice."

Joey stared at him.

Seto frowned. "I'm so sorry. That made more sense in my head."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey hummed as the brunet crawled into bed behind him and sighed. "Was she pretty?"

Seto scowled. "Why do you always assume that when I come to bed late, it's because I'm fooling around behind your back?"

"'cause you're an attractive man and a lot of your people think of me as a trophy for ya." The blond yawned quietly. "Lots of girls wanna give themselves t' ya 'cause they think I'm not givin' ya enough."

"You are not a trophy and just because _I'm_ attractive doesn't mean that they are. I am quite content with you, thank you very much," he hissed, glaring at the blond's back. "Besides, after you've finished with me, I barely have the energy to get out of bed. Why can't you just ask me where I was like a normal person?"

Joey rolled onto his back and looked up at him, brows furrowing together. "Fine. Seto, where were you?"

"I finally found out where that stupid magician was. The one that convinced that village to break your horn," he added when the blond blinked in confusion. "I wanted to make sure he was really there. I'll deal with him tomorrow. I'm too tired and too grumpy to make him suffer like he should for what he did to you."

He growled as the blond rolled on top of him, ready to smack him off with his tail after the stunt he'd just pulled, but then the younger boy was kissing him so sweetly that he didn't want to stop him. He lifted a hand to dig his fingers into his hair, sighing quietly, then blinked slowly as the blond broke the kiss and instead began nipping his jaw.

"…I said I'm too tired," Seto muttered, but lifted his head to let the blond nip and kiss his neck. "I flew several hours in dragon-form to find him and several hours back." He sighed as the blond reached into his pajama pants to paw him and rolled his eyes. "You have to do all the work then."

Joey mewed, leaning down to rub one of his horns over his chin—almost as long as they'd been before they'd been broken. "'kay. I'll do all the work and then after ya go rip his dick off tomorrow I'll do all the work again!"

"…I thought I'd rip open his flesh, too, so that he'd hurt to move even after he healed," Seto added slyly.

When the blond squealed in glee and began stripping himself, he chuckled and lifted his hips to help the younger boy pull his pants down. "Try not to hurt yourself this time, okay? It was embarrassing to tell the healer that you'd hurt yourself just because you were riding me and got too excited."

"_I fell off the bed 'cause ya grabbed my wing,_" Joey hissed defensively.

"How was I supposed to know that you had no feeling in your wings?" Seto asked, frowning.

The blond grumbled and muttered, "Ya coulda asked me so I didn't end up on the floor!" Despite his muttering, he settled himself on the brunet's lap and purred, "But I'll forgive ya 'cause you're gonna make that bastard suffer."

Seto thought about adding that it hadn't really been anyone's fault, because it was an accident, but then Joey was doing something very interesting with his body that he'd never done before and he was much more interested in that.


	18. Family

Author's Note: Why? BECAUSE I WANT TO, THAT'S WHY.

FFFFFFFF family why do I write you so well when it's not imperative I write you?!

* * *

><p><span>Family<span>

Seto stopped in the doorway of the dilapidated apartment, frowning. "Hello?" He felt a chill, but he told himself that it was because he was cold and shirtless, not because of something eerie.

A moment later he heard someone scurry toward him. He stiffened, ready to defend himself, until he saw a familiar curtain of shaggy black hair. He knelt down and allowed his brother to slam into him, stroking his hair gently. "Ready to go?"

"Do we have to go out there?" Mokuba whispered, frowning, as he gripped the brunet's turtleneck with white knuckles.

"Yes, we do. I've found a safe place."

"…Okay. Yeah, I'm ready."

Seto stood up straight, squeezed his brother's shoulders comfortingly, then bent down to allow the younger boy to climb onto his back. As soon as he was settled, he turned from the broken-down apartment and began to run, passing a few white wisps that had been human at one time on the way down the stairs.

As the moon continued to rise, the white wisps they passed became more numerous, their long, thin white fingers reaching out for them like smoke. Mokuba squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered as he heard his brother's breath become ragged. He knew his brother was tired and he wanted to get off his back and run himself, but he knew he couldn't continue to run as fast as his brother and the wisps would get him. He also wanted to ask where they were going, but he didn't want to distract him and make him waste his breath.

Seto kept running until he reached the docks, pausing at the end of a wooden pier before leaping up onto a giant iron anchor. He reached out to grasp the base of the anchor, panting quietly. The wisps in the water couldn't reach them, and even if they could, they couldn't touch iron. He paused to catch his breath, reaching up to pat his brother's head. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Seto, where are we going?" Mokuba asked quickly, while the brunet glanced around cautiously for flying creatures. The iron would only protect them so much.

"Someplace safe," Seto replied shortly. "When we get there, you'll know."

The younger boy flinched, having forgotten that when they weren't in a safe house, people could use the wind to hear what they'd said. It wouldn't be a safe house if people knew where and what it was.

Seto took a deep breath. "Okay. Hold on. I'm going again."

Mokuba hid his face in the back of his brother's neck and nodded. "Okay." He hugged him tightly, bit his bottom lip, then hissed as the wind began whistling by his ears again. He tried to ignore the low moans that he knew were wisps calling out for prey, but he knew they were still there, even when he began actively listening to his brother's ragged breath instead.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned his head sharply as he heard something slam against his door, then stood, rushing over to it. He opened it, let the person that had collapsed on it fall inside, then kicked his feet out of the way and slammed the door shut again, slapping his hand on the iron-framed wood to reseal it. He turned to face the intruder, hand already up to defend himself if the other creature proved dangerous.

His eyes widened. "Kaiba? What are you doin' here? Mokuba—get off your brother—" He grabbed the younger boy by the back of his shirt and dragged him to his feet, then began brushing him off as the brunet panted and sat up. "You guys okay?"

"Atem—said—safe—place—" Seto wheezed, gasping to get his breath back.

Joey frowned and knelt in front of him, placing his thumbs just below the brunet's eyes and pressing down. "Stop breathin'."

The brunet stiffened, feeling as if his body had been frozen, and the younger boy's thumbs jabbed into the bone of his cheeks painfully. When he was released, though, he felt completely refreshed, as if he could make another long sprint, and he didn't even need to breathe hard anymore.

Joey stood and rested his hand on his shoulder a minute, sighing quietly. "Couldn't have ya hyperventilatin' in front of your brother. Come on. I'll get ya somethin' t—"

"I made tea!" Serenity stated cheerfully as she walked out of the tiny kitchen with a tray. She paused. "Um. I can't tell where everyone is."

Joey took the tray from her and let her sit down in the rocking chair, then motioned for the two werewolves to sit on the couch. "So these were the guests ya said t' expect then? Great. Here, guys. Have some tea."

"Uh—" Mokuba hesitated, frowning, then hurriedly continued, "How is this place safe?"

"…I'm a light mage," the blond answered after a moment. "And Ren's a Seer. I didn't live t' be this old by fuckin' up my magics."

"I see," Seto murmured, reaching out to take one of the cups being offered to them. He took a sip, paused, then looked back up at him. "So what you did just now—"

"Magic." Joey sat down on the floor, since the two brothers were taking up his couch and his sister was in the rocking chair. He didn't mind; he knew the two had probably made a desperate race toward his house, their unknown safe place, and he didn't actually enjoy making people uncomfortable even if he did spend half his time fighting with them. "I know weres can take a hit, but I'm guessin' that you guys came from a ways away."

"Several miles. Other side of the city, really. I hid Mokuba there while I met Atem so he could tell me where to go." Seto ran a hand through his hair, sighing tiredly. "He didn't say how long you'd be here, though."

"We'll only be here a few more days," Serenity answered pleasantly. "We'll be heading to the north soon. Eventually, the wisps will find us, and we'll have to leave."

"Isn't there any way to get the wisps to leave?" Mokuba asked, brows furrowing together.

Joey gripped his hands into fists but calmly replied, "Not yet." He looked down at his lap, then looked back up to the two brothers, because he knew they were shocked and nervous and scared. "We haven't found out yet. Light keeps 'em away. Light magic can keep them away for a while, but it's too weak t' keep 'em away forever. When we do find out how, we'll do our best, but we've been pounded out."

The younger boy blinked. "Pounded… out?"

"The wisps have been findin' light mages for years. The people that created the wisps follow 'em t' the light mages and beat them t' death, because that's the only way besides natural death that'll kill our magic completely. The longer they beat us, the more our magic will try t' heal us; if it's a quick stab or a gunshot the magic knows we're a lost cause and flees." Joey rubbed his eyes tiredly, sighing. "Someone that's compatible but wasn't born with it would absorb my magic." He sighed again. "God, I'm tired."

"Time for bed!" Serenity stood, dusted off her clothes, then turned in the direction of their guests. "Mokuba, you can sleep with me. My blanket is big enough."

"Uh—" the younger boy began, but then his brother reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his older brother—tired, sad, resigned blue eyes—then nodded once, stood, and followed the redhead into the only bedroom with the only bed and ignored the fact that he was still too high on adrenaline to respond.

Joey stood and caught his arm quickly. "Wait. Ya need some rest."

Mokuba flinched as the blond placed his fingers over his eyes, worried that he'd just dig the tips in like he had to his brother, but then his eyelids felt heavy and he couldn't keep them open.

Joey gave him a quick swat. "Go t' bed." He watched the two younger siblings disappear and the door close and sighed, then turned to the brunet.

Seto was on him before he could even turn to face him completely, mashing their mouths together roughly. He mewled, arching against him, then grabbed his shoulders and shoved him away quickly. "Fuck, Kaiba, I know you're a were, but—"

The brunet shoved him up against the wall and growled, pressing their bodies together roughly. "Take Mokuba with you."

"Hn… Huh?" The mage looked up at him and frowned. "…You… wanna leave Mokuba with me?"

"He'll be safe with you," Seto stated simply, hating that his throat was closing up and he'd miss his younger brother. "The wisps are getting more powerful. They're lingering longer in the morning and appearing sooner at dusk. I can't keep protecting him. Not like you can, anyway. I'm… tired."

Joey tilted his head, brows furrowing together. "…You're… sayin' ya want us t' be family?"

Seto leaned his forehead on the blond's shoulder, his own body sagging in exhaustion and defeat. "Just Mokuba, if need be. God, I'm so tired. I can't imagine how you must feel." He paused, then stood up straight and looked down at him. "I sincerely apologize for trying to mate with you to force the responsibility of my brother upon you."

The younger boy blinked, then smiled, reaching up to cup his cheeks. "You older weres are so weird."

"You keep calling me that. We really prefer to be called werewolves," the brunet scolded. He jumped as the younger boy leaned up to kiss his chin, blinking in surprise. "…You—"

"Ya know, if you're rude t' the people keepin' ya safe, they may not wanna keep ya safe," Joey teased, patting his cheek, then stepped around him to pick up the tray on the wooden crate that served as their table. He felt the brunet's hands hesitantly settle on his hips and rolled his eyes. "Kaiba. Ya don't need t' mate with me t' make us a family. We can be a family by feelings alone, not just because two people got together and went at it like rabbits."

"In human terms, I suppose not," Seto mused, tilting his head as he remembered vaguely, in a time that felt like a lifetime ago, a widowed secretary who had a son and a long-term boyfriend that served as a step-father despite no legal standing.

Joey placed a hand on top of the brunet's and flinched as he was immediately bombarded with feelings of loss, loneliness, sadness, and want. "Kaiba?"

And he had no idea what had happened to that clever woman, her son, or her boyfriend. The wisps had appeared, people started dying, and the chaos had caused so much confusion that he'd never gotten to see if they were alright or if they were among those that had been ripped apart and devoured by wisps.

Kaiba took a deep, shuddering breath, buried his face in the blond's shoulder, and gasped, "I just want things to go back to normal."

Joey tilted his head and smiled sadly, brows furrowing together, then set the tray down, turned, and hugged the brunet tightly, leaving a trail of soft, warm kisses along his chin and jaw. He wanted things to go back to normal, too.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Mokuba wandered out to get a cup of water, yawning, and paused when he heard gasping and a repetitive creak from the couch. He rubbed one of his eyes as he wandered closer. "Seto?"

His brother sat up quickly, eyes glowing in the darkness of the room. "What is it, Mokuba?"

"You guys okay?"

Seto paused, hummed, and shifted his hips slightly. "…Yes, I think we are."

Joey gasped again as he felt pleasure thrum up his spine, reaching up to dig his nails into the brunet's arms. "Kaiba…!"

"Go back to bed, Mokuba," the older boy ordered firmly but kindly. "We're going to have to cover a lot of territory tomorrow."

"I thought we were staying here for a few days."

"Change of plans-!" Joey bit his bottom lip and whimpered as the brunet shifted inside him again. "I sent out a wave of magic in the middle of the night t' let you guys in. The wisps 'll probably find it and come this way. We're headin' over t' find Yug' tomorrow!" He tilted his head back and shuddered as the brunet leaned over him again and dug his teeth into his bottom lip to keep from moaning.

"Oh, okay," Mokuba mumbled, scrubbing at both of his eyes now, then turned to go get a cup of water. "You guys can go back to fornicating."

The blond whined, feeling both embarrassed and yet, at the same time, amused. "You old weres are so _weird!_"

Seto didn't give him time to expand on why they were weird. He much preferred the gasping and muffled moans.

Mokuba smiled a little as he walked back to the room he'd been sleeping in with his cup of water. He hadn't wanted to say anything, but he was excited that his brother had found someone to court and mate with in all of the madness that had happened in the past few months.

.-.-.-.-.-.

When the small group limped into Yugi's home, it was nearing dusk, and the wisps were already coming out. Joey had done his best to keep up with the two werewolves, but he just didn't have the stamina they did, so Seto and Mokuba had taken turns carrying them.

It hadn't helped that someone had screamed about werewolves and mobbed them, begging for help and protection. It had been several terrifying minutes as he saw his brother being pulled away, being begged himself for protection despite being half of some of the people's size.

Then his mate and his mate's sister had been shoved away, discounted for being human and, in Serenity's case, for being blind. Joey had pushed his sister back onto the sidewalk a safe distance, then had tried to get to Mokuba, but he couldn't. The throng of people was too big and a lot of them kept hitting and kicking him to get him away.

Seto had lost it when he saw blood dripping from a cut over his mate's eye and heard his brother screaming desperately for help. He'd grabbed the nearest person by the arm, turned, and slammed him into two other people.

The carnage he'd left behind them had baffled Serenity, and she'd asked why everyone had suddenly gone so quiet. Joey had wanted to make something up, but before he could even open his mouth, Seto had snarled, 'because everyone's dead or injured,' and that had been the end of it.

Joey's limp, which he'd had from the night before, became more pronounced from a knife wound to the leg. That last stretch of travel, after the mob, had been done entirely by the two werewolves.

Yugi hadn't been there when they arrived. It was worrisome, but Yugi was one of the few people the wisps couldn't touch, so it was a worry about humans hurting him.

Joey had wanted to make them something to eat, but Seto wouldn't let him, insisting he see to his wound. He had to admit that was a good idea, because it could have been a dirty shank. Mokuba had giggled and pulled Serenity into another room so they could read some of the books Yugi had left out.

Joey understood why when the brunet had promptly yanked his pants off and begun licking his injury. He'd yelled, snarled, smacked and hit him, but the brunet was too busy licking the wound on the outside of his upper thigh to pay attention to him.

And that's how Yugi found them.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto lifted the icepack from the lump forming on his head, let his brother check it, then placed it back on the wound. "I didn't even know you could reach the breadboard."

"You'd be surprised by the things Joey can do when he's embarrassed!" Yugi smiled, placing a platter of roast meat in front of them.

The two werewolves politely waited for the humans to eat their fills before leaping on the platter themselves, gnawing and ripping and clawing and just making a mess of themselves and each other.

For once, Joey wished he was blind like his sister, because this was the grossest thing he'd ever seen, and he'd watched people get devoured by wisps.

Yugi sat down at the table as well, ignoring the scene the two brothers were making, then leaned his head on his hand. "Atem will be here soon. He thinks he's found a book about the wisps and the people capable of summoning them."

"Really?!" Joey asked quickly. "So we could find 'em and stop 'em!?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I can't read the languages he can."

The blond visibly deflated.

Serenity reached out to grab his hand. "Big brother, everything will be fine."

"…Yeah," the older boy whispered, frowning.

But her predictions had been wrong before. At least Mokuba believed her wholly and truly, he mused, as the younger boy smiled at the thought of everything being okay.

Seto seemed to notice his melancholy but didn't say anything.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"…Serenity predicted I was going to die once," Joey commented after a long pause. He felt the brunet's fingers pause on his side, reached up to rest his hand on top of his, and smiled when the werewolf flipped his hand so he could lace fingers with him. "She didn't say when. She didn't say where. She just told me that I'd lived through it."

"It's been speculated that telling someone when and where they die will just perpetuate it," Seto commented after a moment. "If she'd told you when and how, and you tried to not do those things or be any of those places, something else could have happened to you. Besides, Seeing is not something that is black-and-white. Seeing just allows a person to observe possible outcomes. It's why most Seers either kill themselves or become recluses. They can't handle not knowing whether what they're seeing is true or not." He paused, then smiled. "And sometimes you see well-adjusted Seers like Serenity."

"Yeah. Ren turned out pretty well," the blond agreed, smile growing wider.

The werewolf hummed. "She's an excellent sister-in-law. She hasn't even mentioned our mating."

Joey chuckled. "I don't think she knows."

"Oh, she knows. Her senses of smell and hearing are superior to yours." Seto smirked. "And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that all you did was jump instead of cussing at me and trying to hit me after I spanked you before we left."

The blond blushed brightly and smacked his arm. "Kaiba!"

"Well, it's true." The werewolf tilted his head. "Yugi is safe because he's a phoenix, right? Is there any way you and he could—"

"His magic is in his body. It's why wisps won't touch him. They'll die, and he'll only feel pain until his body heals." Joey sighed. "My magic is almost its own entity. I control it, but like I said, if I'm in danger, if it can't heal me, it's gonna be absorbed by someone else."

"Hmm." Seto sat up and lifted the blond's leg despite the tired groan he received and began licking his knife wound. He didn't want it to get infected and while he knew his healing powers were only good for healing him, he knew that his saliva could at least keep the blond's wound from festering and becoming infected.

"God damn it, Kaib', Yugi's gonna walk in and see us again!" the younger boy complained.

The brunet snorted, unimpressed. "There is nothing wrong with seeing to my mate's wound."

"I told ya that we didn't need t' mate for me t' take care of your brother if somethin' happened t' ya!"

"I wanted to mate, and you let me, because I didn't want to die a mateless loser. Roll over. I want to do it wolf."

Joey snarled. "Who said I was in the mood, ya prick?!"

Seto hummed and pawed between the blond's legs lightly. "I thought you being hard did?"

"AGH I HATE YOU FINE MAKE IT QUICK."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Atem nearly purred as his mate preened him, feeling quite proud of himself. It would take a few light mages to make the wisps turn on their masters and destroy them, and also destroy themselves in the process, and it wouldn't stop the sea wisps or the harpy-like creatures wandering the skies, but he and his phoenix brethren could take care of the flying ones. The sea wisps wouldn't pose much of a problem if they could contact the mers to take care of them. After all, mers had taken care of sea wisps for years; most drowned people became wisps and needed to be destroyed anyway.

He jumped to his feet. "I'll go tell Joey about this. He'll be pleased."

"Uh, maybe you should wait until tomorrow—they were tired when they got here—" Yugi began, frowning, but was cut off.

"He'll be too pleased with me to be angry!" Atem replied cheerfully. He walked to the guest room Yugi had put Seto and Joey in and knocked twice, then opened the door. "Joey—"

He froze in the doorway as both the blond and brunet looked up at him in surprise. Seto glanced away awkwardly, not because he was embarrassed, but because Joey was in a very vulnerable position and he had no doubt that Joey could cause everyone harm simply because he was embarrassed and angry.

Joey blinked slowly, then gripped his hands into fists and roared, "GOD FUCKIN' DAMN IT WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE AND WALKIN' IN ON US?! FIRST MOKUBA AND THEN YUGI AND NOW ATEM! GET OUT, ASSHOLE! GET _OUT!_"

Atem was frozen for several more seconds until the bedside lamp was thrown at him. He shut the door quickly, listened to the lamp shatter against it, and sank to the floor when he realized it could have been his head that had been smashed by the lamp.

Yugi approached him hesitantly. "…I said you should wait…"

"…I didn't even know someone could _reach_ the lamp from the foot of the bed," Atem muttered.

The smaller boy smiled awkwardly. "Um, Joey can move surprisingly quickly. …He beat Kaiba with a breadboard when I walked in on him licking Joey's leg wound."

Atem looked up at him in horror. "Oh, Kaiba, that poor bastard."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Rebuilding brought on a new set of problems, simply because no one _wanted_ to rebuild. Everyone wanted to find their families and friends and make sure everyone was okay before they did anything else. It made setting up electricity and phone lines to make it easier difficult. Some people trekked hundreds of miles on foot to find other people.

Seto tilted his head slightly. "Aren't you two going to look for anyone? Your parents, your friends-?"

"They'll find us," Serenity told him pleasantly.

"…Did you See that, or—" Mokuba began, surprised, but cut himself off when the blond slid his jacket off, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over to the nearest group of drifters that appeared to be a family.

He knelt beside one of the kids, smiled, and placed the jacket on his shoulders, then spoke a few short words to the mother. She nodded once, and the two werewolves watched in horror as he broke a store's window even further than it already had been and climbed inside. He returned with a few cans of baby formula and some cans of raviolis.

Seto tilted his head again, blinking slowly, then walked over to him as the mother thanked him profusely before she lifted her baby again with renewed vigor and led her son away after he thanked the blond for helping them get food too. "So this is what you want to do? Feed people. And then anyone that wants to will find you, because everyone will talk about you."

Joey smiled bashfully and brushed some glass from his sleeve. "Yeah. I mean, no one's gonna settle down again until they find everyone they can, right?"

"…Right." Seto reached out to brush a piece of glass from his hair. "So… we find all of the stores that haven't been looted, loot them ourselves, and put all of the food in one place." He turned. "Mokuba, how would you like to help me make sure that no one takes more than their fair share when we're finished collecting food?"

Mokuba smiled brightly, glad that he'd be allowed to defend his new family members and their business. "Yeah!"

"What can I do?" Serenity asked, feeling the slightest bit left out.

Seto smirked. "Tell people that if they find any food they don't need or want, to bring it to us. And make sure other people aren't lying when they say they have six brothers and sisters to feed. After all, I'm sure some people do have a lot of siblings and friends' siblings to take care of, especially if their parents got caught by wisps, but you know humans—always trying to take advantage."

Serenity and Joey agreed, deciding not to inform him that just because she was a Seer and Joey a mage didn't make them any less human. Werewolves didn't usually think much of humans anyway.

Besides, they had to admit that some humans were jerks and liked to work the system.


	19. HurtComfort

This is a sequel to Supernatural.

* * *

><p><span>HurtComfort

"Hey, _Joey!_ Heard ya let an angel ream ya!"

Joey rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance as he listened to the younger demons jeer at him. He thought about ripping out some of their throats, to teach them a lesson, but he knew that reacting to their teasing would just add fuel to the fire. Eventually, they'd get tired of baiting him because he wouldn't react.

That didn't mean that if someone tried to show him just how much better demons were at sex, he would hesitate to rip their genitals apart just because they were also demons.

Joey huffed, bit his bottom lip, then smiled. He was late for his date.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto nuzzled the blond's hair and sighed, wings flapping a few times before wrapping around the demon's body. "It's a shame that Purgatory is really the only place we can meet."

Joey nuzzled his chest and purred, tail waving just as idly as the angel's silvery wings had. "I think it's great. Purgatory twists itself t' our wills, so this is really nice." He hummed as the warm breeze drifted across the meadow and over them as Seto moved to rest against the tree more firmly. "Who knew an avenging angel could dream up such nice places…"

The brunet glanced over the endless field filled with different sorts of fragrant flowers, the horizon broken only by the single great oak tree that they were resting under. He couldn't help a smile as the demon kissed his collarbone and sighed. "I guess I'm a bit of a romantic. I think I've seen this place before, and I just liked it so much that I wanted to keep it."

"Mm." Joey began nibbling and licking his collarbone more insistently, turning onto his stomach so they were pressed together tightly.

Seto jerked slightly when he felt something hard against his thigh and instinctively brought his open hand down on the blond's ass, making him yelp and jerk backward in surprise. "What are you doing?!"

The demon blinked up at him in confusion. "I… huh?" He frowned. "I was just kissin' on ya a little…"

"Well, yes, but you can't expect anything more than that. I can only emotionally support you. I can't do more than kiss you."

Joey frowned. "…Ya can't even pet me?"

The brunet sighed quietly. "No. Hugging and kissing is as much as I can do."

The demon's brows furrowed together. "…Can I pet _you?_"

"I don't get erect when I'm heavenly-bound. Only when I've been reincarnated as a human." Seto frowned as he watched the blond's expression fall further and further with each word.

Joey sighed and dropped his chin on the angel's chest, tail falling limp in despair as he turned his head and laid his ear over the brunet's chest. He flinched when there was no heartbeat, remembering that angels and demons didn't have them.

The angel frowned and tipped the blond's head up so he could meet his red eyes. "Joey, you knew what it meant when we died and you agreed that I could be your emotional support. We can't have sex."

"Yeah, I know," the demon whispered, frowning. "I know."

"…If you'd like, I wouldn't mind you finding physical support with someone el—_UNGH!_" Seto grunted as the blond planted his closed fist in his chest. "Ow! Why would you do that?!"

Joey raised his glowing red eyes to glare at him. "I am among the oldest demons in Hell. I will not simply _find someone else._"

Seto frowned. He hadn't realized that the older demons were monogamous. Then again, Joey had quite a… _different_ honor code than most demons, which was probably why he was regarded so highly in both Hell and Heaven. …And if he recalled correctly, most of the older demons were in relationships with each other. Perhaps Joey had simply been the odd one out.

He ran his hand through the blond's hair, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry I suggested it."

"Damn right you are," the blond muttered, laying his head on the angel's stomach. "Asshole."

The brunet chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're getting a kick out of the fact that I can't curse, aren't you?"

"I'm hopin' you'll call me a nincompoop again. That was cute."

"Oh, be quiet," Seto ordered playfully, running his hands through the demon's thick blond hair. "Mm." He leaned his nose into the blond's hair and took a deep breath, sighing quietly. He smelled like heat and power and just the tiniest hint of ash, plus the underlying tone of sex. In his human body, it would have driven him wild with want. Now, he just felt… happy.

He wouldn't tell Joey that, though. He knew Joey was disappointed that they _really_ couldn't do anything, so he didn't want to hurt him by telling him that instead of feeling aroused, like he usually had as a human, he just felt _happy._ He didn't think Joey could take it.

"…We should go," Joey muttered, burying his face in the brunet's neck and trying to memorize the scent of clean-floral-pureness that was Seto. He'd use that memory when he pleasured himself later.

The bright, earthy scene faded around them slowly, as Seto wasn't really looking forward to leaving him. Eventually, though, the view faded completely to show dark space, and the barrier Joey had formed faded as well, letting the restless spirits trying to figure out if they were good or bad float about again.

Joey smoothed the brunet's white robes with his palms and bit his bottom lip. "…I guess I'll see ya next week, then."

Seto caught his chin and tilted his head up for a quick kiss. "You can pick where we are next time."

"I like bein' here, though. Smells nice."

"How am I supposed to learn more about you when you won't let me?" the brunet teased, smiling. "I'd like to see places you like, too."

Joey's smile faded for a moment. He didn't know how to explain that the places he liked were dark and usually full of suffering screams or places he would like to have sex.

Seto seemed to sense that something was wrong, though, because he merely dipped his head to kiss his forehead. "Well. You can at least think about it, right?"

"…Yeah, okay." Maybe he'd ask Téa for an idea that wouldn't immediately make him horny and wasn't too dark. She was a girl. She'd know that sort of thing. He'd ask her on his next trip Up.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey slammed his fist into the wall and snarled, the tears in his eyes flowing down his cheeks angrily. He continued punching the wall until he couldn't anymore, exhausted, and he slid down the wall. He couldn't do this anymore. He was a demon. He _needed_ physical support. He was getting all of the emotional support he needed from Seto but he needed _more._

Seto couldn't even get hard. Even when Joey had gotten desperate and started touching himself, the brunet had turned his gaze away and had refused to look at him until he'd finished.

He'd hit an angel. He was lucky he hadn't been smote on the spot. He felt awful for it, but when Seto had tried to hold him after he'd finished pleasuring himself, as if he hadn't been ignoring the fact he was there, he'd lost it.

Why couldn't he have someone that could be both emotional and physical support? He liked having Seto for his emotional support; he just… wanted to share that physical connection with him again, like they'd had in the human world. But he couldn't. He was a filthy, stupid demon, and angels were above such impure wants.

Joey sobbed and covered his face, banging his fist against the wall weakly with his free hand. He wanted to be able to pleasure his mate and be pleasured in return. He wanted to be cared for and protected.

He wanted to be loved.

And he knew that Seto never could love him because he was a greedy demon. The most the angel could ever do was love him as a sinner that needed to repent, even though they both knew he never would, because he was born to feed on other people's hates.

Joey whined, curled up in the corner of his room, and buried his face in his knees, hugging them to his chest as his tail kept slapping against the wall until the scales on it chafed and began to bleed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto used his wings to propel him forward through Purgatory quickly, looking in the corners of the seemingly infinite plane to see if maybe Joey was hiding in the shadows, watching him and gauging his emotional state. He didn't blame him; after all, last time they'd parted on… less than amiable terms. He desperately hoped that Joey hadn't expected him to return the next day to find him. He'd thought they might need a week apart to be able to figure things out.

But he wasn't finding Joey anywhere. This was the second day in a row he was searching Purgatory, and he knew that if he didn't find the demon today, he'd look for him tomorrow, too. He just wanted to hold him and tell him that it was okay—

…No, that wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to give Joey the physical support that he needed, but he was incapable of doing that. He couldn't have sex. He couldn't even watch Joey pleasure himself. He'd felt awful when he'd sensed how miserable Joey was. He'd found no joy in pleasuring himself and Seto had found no joy in the demon suffering like most angels usually did.

Seto sighed and came to a stop, frowning. He didn't even know _how _he was going to start a conversation with the blond when he found him. If he could find him, anyway. For all he knew, Joey would stay in Hell forever, and as a fully-fledged angel, he needed special permission to go down there. Only acolytes learning the ropes of being angels who hadn't yet gotten their wings could go down there freely, to see what they were trying to save humans from.

"Jeez! I've been waiting for you to stop flying around for hours!"

Seto jumped and turned quickly, scowling when he found a rather busty blonde woman standing in front of him, her long, scaly tail waving in annoyance as she flicked a lock of hair from her horns. "What? Why have you been waiting for me?"

"Because I've got a letter for you, dumbass, from Joey," she snapped, flinging the envelope at him. She thought about leaving immediately, because her job was finished, but she liked Joey, so she decided to memorize the brunet's reaction so she could tell him about it later.

Seto caught the envelope and glared at her for a moment before opening it and pulling out the tan parchment inside. He checked for Joey's signature at the bottom and smiled a little when he saw the goofy little smiley face that he always put next to his name as a habit. His smile immediately faded when he read the rest of the letter.

_Seto, I can't. I just can't anymore. Thank you for being my emotional support. I love you. Goodbye._

He stared at the words for several minutes before turning on the woman with a vengeance, roaring, "WHAT THE BLUE BLAZES IS THIS?!"

She pursed her lips. "I'm going to assume something unpleasant."

"Goodbye?! _Goodbye?!_ I HAVE BEEN COMING DOWN TO PURGATORY FOR MONTHS TO BE WITH HIM AND HE CAN'T EVEN TELL ME TO MY FACE!?"

She raised an eyebrow and hummed. "Well, he didn't even really want to write the letter. I had to bribe him by saying it would make it easier for the rest of us demons if we didn't have an angry angel making inquiries about him while he went into hibernation for who knows how long."

Seto's wings began to shake with fury. Joey had planned on just leaving him here, searching Purgatory day after day until he woke up?!

"…Powerful demons can hibernate for centuries," she added, smirking a little in amusement.

HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE HIM THERE FOR CENTURIES!?

When she saw his face beginning to turn red in fury, she sighed, feeling the smallest bit of pity for him. "He's already fallen asleep. Even Hell ripping itself apart wouldn't wake him at this point. Why don't you just go home and forget all about him?"

Seto turned on her again, blue eyes glowing as his wings shook harder with the want to beat the daylights out of her and everyone else around him. "Take me to him."

"I'm afraid that you'll have to put in a formal request at the—" she began, only to squeak quietly in terror when he leaned toward her, wings flying out threateningly.

"Take. Me. To. Him," he hissed again.

She squeaked again awkwardly, then sighed and nodded. "If you get in trouble, it is not my fault." His wings flared outward again, shimmering brightly in the darkness that was Purgatory. She hissed and covered her eyes. "Alright, alright! Jeez! Cut that out!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto approached the still form in the corner of the lavish bedroom and frowned when he saw blood on his hands and tail. When he saw more blood smeared on the brown stone walls, he realized with a short gasp that the blond had done it to himself. Kneeling in front of the blond, he almost physically recoiled when he saw that the demon's eyes were open, but there was no white or pupil; they were just red.

"It's mostly to ward off danger," the demoness whispered to him, as if talking loudly would wake him up, even though it wouldn't. "No one wants to approach a demon when its eyes have been lost in red."

Seto cupped the blond's cheeks and tilted his head up, frowning in concern when he felt how cool the usually burning hot skin was, but he figured he was conserving his heat for however long he'd be hibernating. After a moment, he leaned down to kiss the demon lightly.

He felt no returned pressure on his lips, felt no playful tongue darting out and hiding again coyly. He felt no arch as the smaller body pressed closer to his for more. He felt no powerful hands gripping his feathers as the kiss deepened—because the kiss didn't deepen. He leaned back.

Joey was asleep. He hadn't felt anything. He didn't even know he was there. And he'd planned on never seeing him again, telling him goodbye like that.

He'd said he loved him.

Seto leaned his face in his hand, wishing that he'd known that sooner. He could have asked the older angels for advice. He could have asked for help. He could have asked to be human again so they could be together if all else failed. But Joey had just said goodbye.

…Not even to his _face._

Snarling angrily, Seto sat up and slapped him across the face. "You idiot! You complete and utter fool! If you'd just told me sooner—" His breath hitched. Joey couldn't hear him.

And that just made him angrier.

Seto slapped the blond again, then backhanded him, roaring angrily. "DON'T YOU DARE JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! DON'T YOU TELL ME YOU LOVE ME AND THEN LEAVE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME YOU LITTLE JERK, SO WAKE UP AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"

The female demon grimaced and took a few steps back as the angel's wings began to glow, hiding behind the door nervously as the individual feathers shook and began to shine and harden like scales.

The angel snarled and grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him, finally slamming him back against the wall. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" His eyes glowed brighter before he closed his hand and punched him in the jaw. "WAKE UP, ASSHOLE!"

His feathers began hardening faster, welding themselves together the more he snarled and cursed and continued to hit the demon with a closed fist.

"YOU HEARTLESS LITTLE BASTARD, ANSWER ME!" The halo of light that surrounded him began to fade. "DO NOT MAKE ME WAIT AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID, YOU STUPID FUCK!"

The demoness shook in terror as the last few feathers fell from the brunet's wings onto the floor, where they burned as soon as they touched. She'd heard about fallen angels but she hadn't thought it would be like this—that from just striking someone with a closed fist and using words angels shouldn't speak, his body would start to change and distort with the rage that drove him to it. She hadn't thought that a powerful angel could just… _turn into_ a demon. Not like this.

The brunet tilted his head back and let out a furious roar before he slammed his fist into the wall beside the blond's head.

She fled and didn't look back, too terrified that in his blind fury he would rip her apart.

Seto hit the blond a few more times, growling loudly, then sagged in defeat. Joey clearly wasn't going to wake up until he was good and ready to. He'd just have to wait until he did.

Settling across from him, the brunet scowled, setting his jaw determinedly. He wouldn't leave until he'd faced the blond. He would be here when he woke up and then he would tell him exactly how he felt.

Hopefully he'd have time to calm down, however long that was.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey stiffened as he sensed another powerful demon sitting across from him, then closed his eyes. The demon was clearly watching him with intent, so pretending he was still hibernating and then surprising it wouldn't work.

As soon as he took his first deep breath and began to open his eyes, his breath was knocked out of him completely as he was pulled from the wall and then slammed back against it. "Ugh!"

The other demon leaned his lips next to his pointed ear and hissed, "Just who do you think you are, telling me you love me and then _telling me goodbye?_"

Joey's breath hitched; he was confused and scared because he'd said that to Seto but this was a demon trapping him, not an angel, and Seto couldn't possibly be down here because full-fledged angels needed special permission—

"_Answer me._"

"I—Lemme go—" he gasped loudly and whined as the other demon closed his mouth on his neck, sharp eyeteeth pricking his skin threateningly. "What the hell-!"

The brunet sat up and snarled at him, blue eyes glowing angrily. "ANSWER ME!"

Joey flinched backward, staring at him as his mouth fell open in shock. He stared at the taller demon for several minutes before his eyes began to fill with tears. "Oh, Seto, what did I do?"

Seto blinked in confusion, anger fading as the blond reached up and cupped his cheeks, looking miserable. "You…?"

"Did I do this t' ya?" he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I didn't want this t' happen. You were happy as an angel. I thought you'd just… go find someone else and be happy with them. And now I made ya into… _this._" He spat the last word in disgust and turned his gaze on his lap, tears still rolling down his cheeks because he'd _never_ wanted Seto to become a demon. He'd liked Seto the way he was, even if he couldn't physically support him. "'m sorry."

Seto lifted his hands to place them over the blond's and sighed. "…You didn't do this to me, Joey. I did this to myself."

"But now you're a demon and you were always so happy t' be an avengin' angel because ya liked bein' around kids and I ruined everything-!" Joey began, but the brunet caught his chin and tilted his head up so he could kiss him before he could finish another thought.

Joey wrapped his arms around his neck and moaned, whimpering quietly as the brunet bit his bottom lip and slid his tongue into his mouth. "Mm…!"

Seto broke the kiss and nibbled at his bottom lip again before leaning his mouth next to the blond's ear again. "Joey, please let me be your physical support as well as your emotional now. There's nothing we can do to change this." He leaned back and stroked the blond's cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I love you too and I want to be with you. I did not sit here for seventy-three years just to be turned away."

The blond whined quietly, tail coming up to wrap around the other boy's waist. "Okay. Okay, Seto." He mewed as the brunet bit his ear, blushing a little when he paid special attention to the sensitive tip. "Seto-!"

"Besides, if you really feel badly about me not being with children, you could always fix that," the brunet teased, smiling when the smaller boy stiffened.

Joey immediately smacked his shoulders, shoving him away as he glared at him. "_I_ am the older demon, so _I_ will not be carrying them!"

"But you'd look so cute—" Seto began, smile twisting into a smirk. "—Don't you think?"

"Listen, bucko, I'm not carryin' anything anywhere, so you get that stupid thought outta your head!" the blond roared.

The former-angel put his mouth next to the blond's ear again. "What about carrying my semen from here to the bathroom?"

Joey blinked, then huffed and crossed his arms. "You bribin' me?"

"I'm merely suggesting a momentary solution to our impasse," Seto explained innocently. "And then I can wear on your nerves until you submit and say yes later."

"UGH how did ya turn into such a good demon already ya jerk!?" the blond exclaimed, glaring at him.

The large boy purred. "Clearly I've picked up from the best."

Joey blushed a little and turned his glare on his lap, because flattery worked really well on demons and he wanted to be angry but being called the best was stroking his ego. "You're the worst. Always pickin' on me as a human and then teasin' me as an angel and now you're pickin' on me again. And I can't even hear ya call me a nincompoop anymore 'cause now ya can curse!"

Seto blinked at him in surprise, then smiled. Clearly, he wasn't the only one missing his angelic quirks. It made him a little sad, knowing that Joey hadn't wanted him to change and he'd just changed anyway despite the demon trying to 'let him go.'

He cupped the blond's cheek and kissed him lightly before whispering, "I'll call you a nincompoop anytime you want me to."

Joey blinked, then began to laugh loudly. Somehow, Seto had made the silly insult endearing. It was almost enough to make him forget that Seto was going to try and convince him to bear his children.

Almost, but not quite. He punched the brunet's shoulder lightly. "You can call me a nincompoop anywhere but in bed."

Seto tilted his head, frowning, then raised an eyebrow. "I see." He didn't see, of course, but he found that there were lots of things about Joey he didn't understand. Apparently, that extended to other demons, too, because when they'd popped in to goggle at him, a fallen angel, they had been equally baffled by Joey.

He felt a little better that it wasn't just him being confused by Joey, but everyone that met him.


	20. Humor

Humor

"Now that we understand what classical conditioning is, your next assignment is to classically condition someone on a _small scale._ It's not going to be dangerous or detrimental. Just condition an annoying brother or sister to stop talking when you're studying, or condition your friends to stop interrupting each other. It should be simple. You have a month, and at the end of this month, I want a paper detailing how you went about it and if it worked well or not. You'll also need to tell the person you're conditioning and get them to sign showing they participated, so you'd best make sure it's nothing embarrassing so they will feel inclined to help you."

A group of girls in the corner of the lecture hall tittered with laughter.

The professor pursed her lips. "Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

One of the girls blushed but stood. "Um. If we wanted to try. Um. You know. Something with our… significant others? Um. Could we do that, if we don't have brothers or sisters?" She blushed even more when other students began to laugh but resolutely kept her head up, shooting a glare at a particularly loud athletic student. "I'd like to condition my boyfriend to stop pissing on the floor and actually get it in the toilet."

The male laughter ceased abruptly only for the laughter to be doubled by the other female students.

The professor couldn't help a smile. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time, I suppose. As long as you're okay with me reading about how you went about it, I don't mind. I'm a psychology professor, after all. These things _do _fascinate me." She glanced up at the clock, then looked back at the class. "I will say now that I am not responsible for any failed relationships as a result of this project, though! If you have any questions, I have fifteen minutes before my next class, so feel free to come up and ask."

Joey began packing his bag. He was glad that his school counselor had suggested at least a minor in psychology. After living life on the streets, he'd been good at reading people, but learning the _how_ and the _why_ was proving to be quite interesting him. He'd even been thinking about majoring in psyche and becoming a counselor for other impoverished kids.

He thought about what he could do for this project, honestly more excited for this class than any of the classes he'd had in high school. Maybe it was because he got to pick which classes he was taking now. Maybe it was because he was actually living with people that cared about him doing well.

Maybe he could train Mokuba or Seto to be gracious winners. He shook his head to dismiss the idea; Mokuba would be difficult to condition simply because he was so difficult to please. The only way he was sure he could train Mokuba was if he plied him with fudge whenever he did something good, and if he did that, Mokuba would eventually realize something was up. After all, fudge was a treat he saved for later in the fall. Sometimes he didn't even do it until winter, simply because with less light, he wanted to do more in the kitchen.

No, his best bet was to try and condition Seto. While Seto was a genius, he was also just a little stupid. No doubt, he could beat Joey at an intelligence test for sure, but when it came to practicality, his thoughts about it were… questionable.

Joey frowned. How would he train Seto, though? All of his annoying quirks were just really cute. His coffee addiction was adorable, because he was like a grumpy child in need of a nap until he had his morning cup, and his anal retentiveness was sort of endearing despite also being exhausting.

Joey walked over to his bike and sighed, reaching up to tie his hair back so it wouldn't fly into his eyes on the ride back, then paused, running his fingers through his ponytail. Seto thought he looked sexy with his hair in a ponytail. Seto also thought he could sex him up whenever he wanted to. It would be nice to have a little of the I'm-horny-let's-fuck power, too.

The blond's lips curled into a smirk even as he clipped his helmet straps and got on his bike to pedal home.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto paused when he saw Joey putting his hair up. "Are you going on a ride?"

He didn't approve of Joey bicycling around without a security escort, but both Roland and Joey had made it clear that he did not need someone to protect him and if anybody attacked him, extra people would only get in the way. He thought about asking Joey if it was _really_ necessary for him to ride his bike to and from school, but he disliked being picked up in the limo and to be honest, he didn't really trust Joey to drive one of his cars.

Then again, he could only blame himself for that, because he'd been the one to teach Joey how to drive. He hadn't realized how recklessly he drove until he was in the passenger seat.

Seto blinked as the blond turned toward him and smirked. "Hmm?"

"Not goin' anywhere. Just thought I'd… put my hair up," he purred, smiling, and slid his arms around the older boy's neck. He hooked a leg over the brunet's hip and hummed, beginning to nip his neck. "Mm… Ya busy?"

Seto thought back to all of the paperwork he still had to look over and sign and the specs for some characters for a proposed MMORPG. "No, I am not."

And it was worth it.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto, I'm gonna borrow your old lappy so I can type up a paper," Joey stated, striding into the brunet's office and opening one of the many, many drawers built in under the bookcases. He stared at the different used laptops, then turned to the brunet and raised an eyebrow. "Which one should I use?"

"The silver one."

"Ya have three silver ones."

"The one on the left."

Joey stared at the older boy, wondering if he should suggest wiping the memory of the laptops and selling them or donating them to charity, but he knew that would start an argument he didn't want to have.

Seto would say there was still important information on them. Joey would suggest compiling all the important information, wiping the computer, and _then_ getting rid of them. Seto would worry that he hadn't been able to get all of the data off, and what if it fell into a competitor's hands? Joey would mutter about the likelihood that Seto, a computer genius, would leave even a speck of data on the laptops. Seto would hear him, snarl he wasn't perfect, and then they'd devolve into petty insults and slurs and it would end in an angry huff and someone slamming the door.

Joey was ashamed to admit that the one time an argument hadn't ended with someone slamming the door, it had ended with him slamming Seto's head into the table. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt, because his face had met a very moist piece of cake, but instead of it being the hilarious moment it should have been, it had only been awkward, because they'd both known he'd seriously meant to hurt him.

He would continue to apologize for it if Seto would let him, but he wouldn't so he simply didn't bring it up anymore.

Joey rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning to grab the left-most silver laptop. "Whatever."

Seto sensed the argument he didn't want to have and rolled his eyes. "Would it make you feel better if I just bought you your own laptop?"

"This lappy's fine. I only use it t' type. I use the school computers for research."

"You wouldn't have to if I bought you your own," the brunet began, only to find a fistful of notebook paper shoved in his face. "Agh!"

"I like writin' my papers out so Ryou can rip them apart with his purple pen," Joey stated. Ryou was majoring in literature and was a much better writer than the blond could ever hope to be, so he'd volunteered to proof-read his papers in exchange for dinner. He liked the feel of the paper and he liked watching it fill up with words as he moved his pencil across it.

And it made it easier to cross things out and change them. He'd found he did much better when he could see the changes he wanted made.

"And if I had my own lappy, I'd just download games and get distracted. See? Borrowin' yours helps my grades."

Seto rolled his eyes again and sighed, but he had to admit the blond did have a point. He just didn't know how to make Joey understand that he wanted to spoil him a little. "If you're sure, then. What's your paper about?"

"How I'm classically conditionin' someone."

"If you classically condition Mokuba to stop mouthing off to me I would be very happy."

Joey turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "He's a teenager, Set'. There is literally nothin' I could do t' make him stop."

Seto sighed. "That's what I thought. It was worth a try."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"GAH RUNNING LATE RUNNING LATE!"

Seto took a sip of his coffee. Mokuba poured himself some cereal.

Joey sprinted into the dining room, grabbed a piece of toast, crammed some scrambled eggs and bacon on it, then folded it in half. He shoved almost all of it in his mouth and gagged a little, making the two brothers flinch, but then he was chewing and swallowing and shoving the rest in.

Mokuba, looking a little green, pushed his bowl of cereal away and got up from the table.

Joey watched him go, blinking, then turned toward the brunet. "I forgot, ya need t' sign this."

"Hmm?" Seto blinked. "What's this for?"

"For the classical conditionin' thing. I need ya t' sign it so that I can prove I did it."

The brunet looked up at him, both offended and confused. "I have not participated in any such experiment."

Joey scowled. "Yes, ya did. I would know, because I did it and I know it worked. Now sign it."

"I will not sign something that I know is not true just so you can get a good grade."

The blond sighed and rolled his eyes angrily. He didn't want to tell Seto that he'd basically trained him for sex on demand just by putting his hair up. That would just end badly. If Seto figured it out himself, though, he might at least think it was clever before he killed him.

Seto would still kill him, clearly, but at least he'd admit that he was clever.

"Fine. Whatever. Okay." Joey grabbed the sheet and shoved it in his backpack. He hoped that his professor wouldn't take too much off of his grade when she saw that other than the signature, he'd done everything correctly. His paper was good and his procedure correct. That would have to do because once again, Seto wasn't seeing the big picture, just the details, and he wasn't putting them together. "Well, I'm off."

Seto watched the blond gather his hair and almost growled as he felt himself growing aroused. "Do you have time for a—"

"No," the blond replied shortly, placing his helmet on his head. "I do not. See ya after school."

Seto watched him sprint out of the room, heard the door slam, then leaned back in his chair, scowling. He was often sexually frustrated because Joey was tired after his classes, but somehow, this time was different. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

Why was this time different? It wasn't like he'd been aroused and unable to have sex before. He was a healthy young man. That was normal. So why… why this time? It wasn't like anything strange had happened. All Joey had done was put up his hair—

Seto froze, eyes wide. Classical conditioning. Joey had been putting his hair up for sex for the last month. That was when his project had started. That first day, he'd walked in on Joey putting his hair up and they'd had sex.

Mokuba walked into the dining room once he'd recovered and sat down, pulling his bowl of cereal toward him again. He took a bite and grimaced. "Ugh, mushy."

Seto slammed his hands down on the table and roared, "FUCK!"

The younger boy stared up at him in confusion. "Seto, it's no big deal. I'm still gonna eat it."

"FUCK." Seto shoved his chair toward the table and snarled as he stomped toward the door.

"…So you're finished with breakfast then?"

"Just—FUCK. DAMN IT. GOD."

Mokuba listened to the door slam and raised an eyebrow, then turned back to his mushy cereal. "Yeah, it's gonna be one of those days."

.-.-.-.-.-.

The entire class jumped as the door to lecture hall slammed open. The professor paused in annoyance, wondering who this person was that was interrupting her class.

Seto looked around for only a moment before he saw who he was looking for. He stomped over to the blond and slammed his hand down on the desk. "Where do I sign?!"

Joey silently pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from his backpack.

Seto grabbed a pen from another student. She squawked. "Hey!"

He scribbled his signature, then leaned toward the blond and snarled, "I am going to beat the shit out of you when you get home. I hope you know that."

Joey simply beamed at him.

The brunet snarled wordlessly and threw the pen back at the girl he'd snatched it from, then stormed back out and slammed the door.

The professor mouthed wordlessly. The rest of the class could only gape. It had all happened in a matter of a forty seconds and it was still rather hard to figure out what the hell had just happened.

The girl sitting next to Joey stood up and screeched. "THAT ASSHOLE BROKE MY PEN AND GOT INK ALL OVER MY ESSAY!"

"…I will accept it as a casualty of war proving that you wrote it. You may send me a digital copy after class." The professor pursed her lips, blinking slowly, then began to laugh, because Joey was still grinning happily as he stapled the signed confirmation letter to the back of his own paper.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey's smile finally fell when he walked into the mansion and found Seto waiting for him, looking as if he'd seethed about everything the entire day. He mused that maybe the brunet had. It had been incredibly personal and he knew that Seto _never_ liked to change things unless he decided they should be changed.

That's why all of his former girlfriends and-or boyfriends were dumped. They decided something needed changing (usually Seto) and he promptly kicked them to the curb, sometimes almost literally.

He felt his heart skip a beat. He hoped Seto wouldn't break up with him for this. They'd been dating for three years. He'd hoped their relationship was strong enough for this and that Seto would take it as a joke.

Thinking quickly as the brunet stepped toward him, because he really did look as if he'd beat the ever-loving shit out of him, Joey asked, "Ya wanna hit me in the face, first?"

"That would be acceptable," Seto replied, one clenched fist rising angrily.

Joey grabbed his hair tie between his teeth. "Lemme get dis hair outta mah face then."

Seto watched the blond gather his hair on top of his head and growled, eyebrow twitching as he watched the younger boy wrap the elastic around his hair. After a moment, he roared, "DAMN IT. FINE."

Joey squealed as the brunet grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall, teeth digging into his skin sharply. "Ow!"

"I am so incredibly angry with you right now I hate you so much God damn it Joey!"

"Ow! Hey, quit bitin' me there, asshole!"

"You're the one who trained me to get horny when you put your hair up, you little twit!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto glared at the ceiling. "I am still angry with you."

"Hmmmmmm."

"I am very offended that you would do such a thing."

"Mhm."

"It is undermining our trust in each other."

"Yeah."

"People don't simply _classically condition_ their loved ones."

"I thought I'd classically condition Mokuba out of his attitude problem with fudge this winter."

The corner of Seto's lips twitched.

"I was gonna do that first, but he'd know somethin' was up if I made fudge this early in the year. Kid's too smart. I had to use you 'cause ya wouldn't expect anything."

Seto continued to glare at the ceiling, even as his lips fought valiantly to smirk. "It was very rude."

Joey rolled on top of him and sighed, frowning. "I figured you'd kill me anyway. I just thought… hey, you sex me up whenever you want. Maybe I can do it too. …Less obviously, of course."

"…I… suppose I can forgive you." Seto paused. "…Please untrain me. This seems like a terrible development."

The blond kissed him lightly and purred. "But I like bein' able t' rile ya up."

Seto thought about the emails building up in his inbox and the new specs on the characters that he'd asked for and had to go through again. He was pretty sure he had a few papers to read and sign, too.

But as Joey began to nibble and kiss his collarbone and trail his hand down between his legs, he realized that this was just as worth it as it was the very first time.


	21. Romance

Author's Note: And so the genre challenge comes to an end. **:**C At least it was fun while it lasted.

* * *

><p><span>Romance<span>

Seto looked out over the beach and sighed, unable to help a smile as he watched the clear-blue water lap up against the white sand. "I think this is better than our first honeymoon."

"'s 'cause on our first honeymoon, ya brought yer laptop and yer cell phone."

The brunet fought the urge to flinch. "Right." He turned his gaze from the beautiful view and smirked as he was met with the equally beautiful one of his lover dozing on a plastic green lounge chair, arms crossed under his chin. He straddled the blond's hips and chuckled when the blond yelped in surprise. "I just thought I'd put lotion on your back before you burn."

"Jerk, scarin' me like that!" Joey muttered, trying to roll onto his back, but the brunet's knees kept his hips pinned down. "Agh, jerk-face, lemme turn over!" He squeaked as he felt the cool lotion dribbling onto the backs of his shoulders. "Seto! Gah!"

"Should I have warmed it in my hands first?" Seto teased, smirking, and began rubbing the lotion into the younger man's skin.

The blond groaned, eyes rolling back as the CEO's strong fingers dug into his muscles and forced them to relax. "God Seto why are ya doin' this t' me uuugh."

Seto leaned down to nibble on the shell of his ear and purred. "Because I just can't keep my hands off of your beautiful body."

"Ngh…" Joey sighed, biting his bottom lip and whimpering quietly as the brunet's lips moved down his neck. "Jeez, you're so lucky this is your stupid island, 'cause I wouldn't let ya do this shit if we were at a public hotel—"

"Who says I'd let you stop me?" the older man hissed, smirk growing, and slid his hands down the blond's sides.

The blond growled. "Damn. Ya know just where t' touch me, doncha? And I put myself in this position too, damn it."

Seto chuckled and wiped his hands on the blond's shoulders. "Well, if it upsets you so much, I'll just leave you to sunbathe."

Joey rolled his eyes in frustration. "Ugh. Seto. It's not that it upsets me; it just… Ugh. I was relaxin' and now I'm horny."

"That's too bad, because I'm going for a swim." Seto paused in the doorway. "…In the ocean." He turned to smirk at the blond smugly. "_Naked._"

Joey jerked a little, used his arms to shove himself upward and onto his knees, and whined, looking up at him with wide eyes because he knew Seto was a sucker for puppy eyes when used correctly. "You're gonna go swim naked without _meee?_"

"Well I never said you couldn't come," the brunet muttered, scowling at him. "Jeez."

The blond jumped up and scampered past him. "Last one t' the beach is a rotten egg!"

"What?!" He hadn't heard that since he'd left the orphanage. He'd thought the saying had been forgotten.

Clearly not by Joey, who was running out the door and across the porch, pausing only to peek back and make sure he was still coming. When he saw that he was (and quite quickly, because he was competitive even on his best and worst days), he smiled and sprinted across the sand.

Seto caught the blond around the waist and laughed. "Nice try!"

"Agh!" Joey scrabbled at his arms wildly but couldn't help giggling as he was lifted onto the brunet's shoulders in a fireman's hold. "Seto what are ya doin' aaaahhhh!" He yelped as he realized the older man was walking into the water up to his waist. "No Seto stop don't AAAAAAAGH COLD!"

The brunet couldn't help a yelp of his own when the younger man retaliated by splashing him in the face. He tackled the blond into the water and mussed up his hair before they both resurfaced, laughing.

The fact that they were still wearing their bathing suits went unnoticed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto sighed and scratched the back of his head, knowing he should check his email but not wanting to get up. "Joey."

"Hmmm." The younger man wiggled further on top of him.

"…Well, I was going to ask you to get something for me, but never mind."

"Hmmm." Joey nuzzled his neck. "If I had the energy t' get ya somethin', I'd have the energy t' roll on top of ya and ride ya again. And let's be honest. I'd rather ride ya then help ya do your work right now."

Seto groaned. "Then I'll have to spend more time working on it _later._ That's more time away from you. …On our second honeymoon."

Joey paused, then climbed on top of him. "If I have sex with ya, ya won't remember ya need t' do it until tomorrow."

"Nooo, I'm tired…" the brunet muttered. "Forget I said anything…"

"Yeah, ya probably couldn't get it up again, anyway," the younger man retorted.

Seto hissed. "…Actually we've had so much sex today that I have to agree with you."

Joey slid his finger down the brunet's chest. "Well, ya know…" He giggled. "I probably can't get it up again t'night either. But tomorrow! Tomorrow we have sex _alllll_ day!"

"…We have another week and a half here, you know," the older man pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "We can have sex the rest of the time, can't we? Is there some curse on us that I don't know about?"

"No, I guess not. But I get ya for two weeks all t' myself." The blond glanced away bashfully. "…'m tryin' t' make the most of it."

"…Well, I would like to have romantic discussions with you at some point." Seto frowned. "I know you're not really a talker, but I think I could verbally woo you all over again."

Joey sat up and looked down at him, blinking slowly, then giggled and leaned his forehead against the brunet's. "Oh? How 'bout a preview then." He gave him a quick peck. "Woo me!"

"Oh. Uh." The older man blinked. "…I can't do this at the drop of a hat."

The blond kissed him again. "Try."

"Um…" Seto cast around his mind wildly before stating, "You have cute feet."

Joey froze, staring down at him in confusion. "…I… have… cute feet?"

"…Yes, you have cute feet. You're so… dainty when you're running. Dainty is the wrong word. Damn it, I had this all planned out in my head earlier," the brunet muttered, scowling. "Graceful. You're graceful when you're running and when you're jumping over fences or railings I just can't look away." He paused. "…I'm so sorry. I had this all planned out for some romantic dinner and all that is coming out of my mouth is stupid."

The younger man tilted his head, then smiled, kissing him lightly. "If that's what ya gotta say about my _feet,_ I can't wait t' hear what ya have t' say 'bout the rest of me."

Seto let out a quiet, desperate keen. "…At least give me a few minutes to collect myself before I continue."

"Nah, I'm ready t' pass out. I think you are too, callin' my feet dainty." He smirked and kissed the brunet again, then rolled off to his side, cuddling up to his chest. "You can tell me the rest t'morrow."

"Mm. Okay. Goodnight."

"'night, Seto." Joey nuzzled his chest and sighed. After a few minutes of listening to his heartbeat, he muttered, "Please tell me you're not workin' out how you're gonna tell me the rest of it tomorrow."

"…Of course not," Seto muttered, glancing away casually. When the blond smacked his arm, he smiled. "Maybe a little."

"Shut your brain off and go t' sleep, Brainiac."

Seto nipped his ear before smirking. "Sure. Just fall asleep at the drop of a hat, whenever you tell me to." He kissed the blond's ear gently before sighing. "Oh, let's not have this much sex tomorrow. My back hurts."

"Guess ya really are turnin' into an old man," Joey teased, smirking up at him.

"I'm only thirty." Seto frowned. "I should start seeing a chiropractor again. Sitting at my desk all day is clearly wreaking havoc on my spine."

"I could do some really awesome stuff t' your spine," the blond cooed. "With my tongue and my teeth."

The older man groaned, rolling his eyes in frustration. "Shut up. I thought you told me to go to sleep. I can't do that when you're actively trying to arouse me."

Joey chuckled and tilted his head to kiss him again before rolling away from him. "Fine, fine. I'll shut my stupid face."

"It's not stupid; it's just noisy." Seto rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around the blond's waist, pulling him back against his chest. "Come here."

"Mmmm." Joey snuggled back against his chest, smiling. "Seto, I can't believe I ever called ya an icy bastard."

The brunet blinked. "…Um."

"You're so fuckin' warm, it's like you're a furnace."

"…Thank you. …I think."

"You're welcome, oh great furnacy one."

Seto looked down at the blond in confusion, but decided it would be better to just let it go.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Your feet and legs are elegant and when you are running, jumping, and leaping, I feel like I am watching a graceful and beautiful cat. I feel the greatest appreciation that I am allowed to see the human body—_your_ body—at its peak that I love it when you push yourself to the limit simply so I can watch you."

Joey looked up at the brunet in surprise, spoon still sticking out of his mouth even as he blushed at the tender way the brunet was looking at him. "…Hm?"

Seto paused, then explained, "That's what I wanted to say to you last night but was too flustered to say it and instead called your feet cute and your running dainty."

The blond's cheeks burned hotter. He almost wished the older man wasn't holding the pitcher of milk so he could press it to his warm cheeks. "Ah… Seto, and that was only about my feet…!" He bit his bottom lip, then leaned toward him and smiled coyly. "So whatta ya think about the rest of me?"

The brunet's eyes widened, the lightest dusting of pink across his nose and cheeks appearing. "…You have shiny teeth?"

Joey snorted and covered his mouth as he watched the older man cover his face in embarrassment. He couldn't even imagine what Seto had been planning to tell him about his teeth.

But, as he watched the brunet mutter and grumble and groan, he decided he wouldn't have him any other way.

He reached out to grab the older man's hand and smiled at him, showing off the pearly whites that Seto apparently liked so much. "Seto, I think I'll keep ya."

"…You're stuck with me whether you like it or not," Seto stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. But I just thought I'd tell ya that I like ya. I mean, ya know I love you. But I like ya lots."

Seto blinked at him slowly, tilting his head, then smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him lightly. "I like you and will be keeping you too."

Joey wrapped his arms around the brunet's shoulders before he could pull away and closed his teeth on his bottom lip lightly before whispering, "Ya like when my teeth leave bruises on ya, Seto?"

Seto squeaked in surprise, then groaned. "Ngh, yes. Can I finish my breakfast first, though?"

"I suppose. Wouldn't want our cereal t' get mushy," the blond teased, kissing him again, before letting him go so he could fall back into his seat. He chuckled as the brunet let out a flustered string of curses because _damn it his back hurt why was he doing this to him after they'd almost screwed to death the night before_ and reached out to grab his hand. "Seto, breathe. I'll do all the work this time."

The CEO took a breath, released it, then leaned his head on his hand in defeat. "…Thank you."

"And then I'll give ya a nice massage and then we can go for a walk and I can take pictures so that my friends will have somethin' nice t' look at when we get home."

Seto grunted in annoyance, but maybe a walk would take his mind off of the throbbing in his back from last night's romp.

…He'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to their next romp too, though. And the romps they'd be having during the rest of their stay at the island, too.


End file.
